


Nightmares and Pixies

by JularaVon



Category: Firefly, Serenity (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2019-04-28 00:32:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 28,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14437575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JularaVon/pseuds/JularaVon
Summary: After Miranda, the crew tries to get back to some semblance of normalcy. With the Doc miraculously saving Wash's life (yes Wash is still alive in this version) and the Tams' currently off the fugitive lists it seems things might sail a bit smoother. That is until uncontrollable events disrupt their corner of the verse. Includes whole crew except Book. (Jayne/OC)





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 

Darkness stretched into nothingness. An unending black, dotted with small bursts of light. Faraway stars twinkled and blinked out while an array of planets rotated on. The eerie quietness of the night clung to _Serenity_ like a fog.

Jayne drug his feet along as he wandered the cold, metal corridors of the ship. Exhausted and longing for sleep that wouldn't come, he avoided the bridge where River was on watch. She always saw too much, too deep. No need to have her alert the others of the inescapable feeling that something bad had happened. Something he could have helped avoid, had he been where he was needed.

A burning to wave home grew stronger as the night wore on. Lifting weights worked to occupy him for a small while, but the repetition and mindlessness of it didn't stop the images of gruesome deaths and slow tortures from flying through his mind as he tried hard to tune them out.

 

**Next Morning**

Jayne quietly ate his breakfast of too dry protein as he heard the rest of the crew stir. Kaylee was the first to rise and greeted Jayne with a cheery good morning as she bounced in. He grunted as usual and she grabbed a protein pack to eat on the way to the engine room. The sound of her skipping and humming faded slowly as she made her way.

Jayne heard a small sigh from the other side of the room. He looked up to see River staring at him as she sat on the couch with one hand on the small table and the other holding her chin while her elbow cozied into her knee. She looked away sadly and concentrated on the upside down, open book laying near her. She started drumming her fingers lightly on the table.

“Angel caught in a web in the night. Angel doesn't shine in the dark. Light gets squashed, but is still there. Hidden. Waiting. Kept like a jewel, but Angel is untarnished,” she said quietly.

Jayne raised an eyebrow at her in confusion. The sound of multiple boot steps came from the corridor and his gaze shifted to see Zoe and Wash walk in.

“Having trouble sleeping there Jayne?” Wash asked smiling.

“Havin trouble sleepin anywhere,” he muttered.

Zoe straightened a bit.

A slight look of concern appeared on her face, “Doc has drugs to help with that. You havin troubles after Miranda?”

“Don't want no drugs,” Jayne said grumpily, “No, its not bout Miranda.”

“Mayhaps we need to find a settlement with pretty ladies and loose skirts for our Jayne?” asked Mal as he entered as well, but with a devilish grin.

“Aint intrested.”

All of them looked at Jayne like they never saw him before.

“What?” he asked as he glared at no one in particular.

River tilted her head towards the Captain, “Angel was taken, snatched in the dark. Safe for now, but waiting. Wanting to hide from the bumps in the night. Pixie will find the Angel. Save her. Who will rescue the Pixie?”

“Oooookaay,” Mal said as he raised an eyebrow at her.

Simon walked in yawning and started preparing a breakfast for him and River.

“Morning,” he said as he nodded at Mal.

Mal grabbed a pack as well and turned towards the crew, “Should be touchin down soon. We can make contact with our new potential client and find out exactly what it is he wants. Hopefully it'll be a tad bit better than the last offer we had.”

“Last one was slavers Mal,” Jayne said quietly, “None a us wanna work with slavers.”

“Right on that,” Mal said as he headed to check on Kaylee, “Right on that.”

Jayne stood quietly, gently picked up his dishes, and walked to the sink. After washing them up, he headed down to his bunk to load up on a couple favorite armaments.

River turned her head sideways and mumbled, “They don't listen to the girl when they think its not important.”

“What was that River?” Simon asked as he carried two bowls to the table.

River stood and danced to the table, “Means nothing now, but everything later.”

Simon sat as he pondered her meaning.

 

**Three Hours Later**

Mal, Zoe, and Jayne sat around a small, sticky table in the corner of a bar each holding a drink. They were faced towards the saloon style doors watching for a man called 'The Herald'. He was supposed to stick out in a crowd, but so far they hadn't seen him.

“Usually clients show up a bit early. Don't keep us waiting,” Mal said as he turned his dirty glass around a few times.

A few minutes later, two men entered the saloon at the same time. One drug himself to the bar and the other wandered towards the crew. He looked unremarkable and looked like all the other dirty workmen in the bar. He sat down across from them and winked.

“Glad to see you still here,” he said. His voice cried upper crust as he continued, “I'm afraid I had to change my look a bit to fit in better. One of my client's has had a few people disappear, she is afraid someone is trying to hurt her and her extended family.”

Mal raised an eyebrow and said, “This concern us somehow?”

“No,” The Herald said, “She is looking for certain items, but I have a client in line ahead of her. If you manage the task I have for you first I will have multiple jobs for you after wards.”

“You sound like a busy man,” Zoe stated.

“Yes, unfortunately the Alliance has put certain needs on a do not fly list for the time being. We are uncertain why.”

“What kinds of things?” Mal asked.

“Simple things,” he said leaning forward a bit, “Blankets, medicine, clothing, proper work equipment for the farmers, and growing seed for starters.”

“Why'd they make that illegal?” asked Jayne.

“All I hear at the moment are rumors,” he said as his face fell a bit, “Rumors of a nearby uninhabitable planet becoming a topic of terraforming and the Alliance wanting to put a special outpost there. They will have to evict the slaver outpost first, but that would be no loss to this community.”

“Ya'd think they'd want this planet fully equipped to deal with the neighbors,” Jayne said.

“Yes, we are not sure what ulterior motive they may have.”

Zoe thought a bit, “Could be they want to drive up some prices for all concerned. Stand to make a tidy profit of it.”

“True,” The Herald said, “An angle I have not yet researched as well.”

Mal leaned back in his chair, “So what is this job you wanna send us on.”

The Herald smiled with perfectly white teeth to match his hair, “Exactly that Captain Reynolds. I'd prefer to start with the growing seed and some basic farm equipment. Its almost planting season. We have enough to start, but not enough to finish and supply everyone with food to eat and sell.”

The Herald reached into his dusty, brown jacket and pulled out a short list with the name of a contact on Persephone. He handed it to Mal and he looked over it closely.

“Thats an awful lotta coin for farm equipment,” Mal said.

“Its all top of the line and new,” he said, “Thus the cost of getting it by inspection. I hope you won't have any trouble dealing with my contact.”

“As it happens,” Mal said smiling, “We did a job for him when he needed it.”

The Herald's look of surprise made Jayne grin as he looked at the list.

“You are the ones who helped with the beef scenario?”

All three of them grinned wide, but kept silent.

“I think this is the beginning to a very profitable relationship my friends,” The Herald said.

The Herald tipped his hat at them, stood, and walked out of the bar as elegantly as one can in dusty farm clothes.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Back on the Ship**

Wash opened the door for Mal, Jayne, and Zoe.

“So,” he said clapping his hands together, “Do we have a job?”

“Yes we do,” Mal said as he handed Wash the paper.

Wash whistled as he looked it over.

“Charting a course for Persephone Cap,” he said as he handed back the paper.

“Zoe, contact Sir Harrow and let him know we're on our way,” Mal said.

“I, I sir,” she said as she followed Wash.

Mal noticed Inara on the catwalk.

“Aint you supposed ta be lying down?” he asked.

“I am feeling better,” Inara stated as she glided to the top of the stairs.

Mal met her there with a look of concern.

“Doc vouch for that?”

“Not today,” Simon said as he wandered out of the med lab wiping his hands with a towel, “Tho we know no one listens to their doctor.”

Simon returned to the med lab and Inara smiled. Mal shook his head.

“Normally when someone is sick they need to rest,” Mal said.

Inara's face fell as she looked away.

“Mal,” she paused, “There is something I need to discuss with you.”

Kaylee appeared next to Inara, “Cap, we going to Persephone?”

Kaylee fairly bounced in her spot as she smiled.

“Thats the notion,” he said cautiously as he leaned back a bit.

“Good, there's a few parts we need to replace to make the ship run all shiny!” she said as she clasped her hands together below her chin.

Mal sighed as he looked at Inara for help.

“Don't look at me Captain,” Inara smirked, “You promised to get her any parts that were needed, as they were needed.”

“Figured after Miranda we wouldn't need many new parts replaced any time soon,” Mal mumbled as Kaylee bounced again and handed Mal another list.

He looked it over as Inara walked back to her shuttle. He handed the list back to Kaylee as he grudgingly nodded his ok. She jump hugged him and then skipped back to the engine room.

Mal slowly made his way to the galley and tried to decide how he wanted his protein for the moment. He walked in to see Jayne out cold on the orange couch as River sat on the small table next to it with her legs crossed in front of her.

“He finds you next to him when he wakes its gonna scare the crap outta him,” Mal stated smirking.

“Won't wake,” River sang, “Hasn't slept in a few cycles. He'll sleep for a couple, then be back to normal.”

“Well thatsa relief,” he said as he opened up cupboard doors.

When he closed the doors, River was behind them. Mal dropped the bowl he'd grabbed, jumped back, and swore.

“You are gunna be the death of me walkin around and bein all creepifyin lately, lil Albatross.”

River giggled and then turned serious, “We have to save the Pixie.”

“What Pixie?”

“The Pixie that saved the Angel,” she stated as if that should clear everything up.

“What Angel?” Mal asked thoroughly confused.

River sighed hard and pointed a finger into Mal's chest.

She tapped her finger into his chest at the start of each sentence as she spoke slowly, “Ask Jayne about the Angel. He knows the Angel. Pixie saved the Angel. Angel going home. Now Pixie needs to be saved. Then Pixie can find home.”

“I still don't know whatcher talkin about,” Mal said scratching his head.

River threw her hands up in frustration and walked a few feet away mumbling.

“Look, I'll talk to Jayne when he wakes up and see if he knows this Angel.”

River looked back at him, “Pixie will be moved.” She said quietly as she slowly shook her head. “Sold to another.”

River hurriedly walked out the room and laid down in her bed while covering her ears.

Mal looked down at the upside down bowl on the floor, still miraculously in one piece. As he picked it up and closed the last cupboard door a thought came to him.

“Sold?” Mal mused aloud, “Slavers?”

He set the bowl down on the counter and headed towards the bridge. Wash played with his dinosaurs as he walked up.

“Hey Cap!” Wash said as he 'killed' one of the herbivores, “Course laid in and we should be there in a week. Charted the fastest course since we don't have anything on board we shouldn't.”

Mal nodded and stared out the window. He looked out towards the large nearby planet and pondered what The Herald had said about slavers. From here the planet looked like a dull gray, golf ball. Such a contrast to the one they'd just left. Deep green forests and rich brown farmland were easy to spot without a digital view screen.

He pondered on what may be down there on that desolate wasteland, sighed a huge sigh, and walked slowly back to the galley. Not something he could handle right now. First the job, then they'd see if The Herald had any more to say on the matter.

 

**Meanwhile**

River hummed loudly to herself as she continued to cover her ears, hoping in vain to block the assault of emotional thoughts ramming into her skull. She felt pain and fear. Closing her eyes, she started to see it too, connected mentally to numerous young women. Dirty, sweaty men with no emotion in their eyes save for lust and power.

_River's eyes snapped open as she felt the sting of a whip upon her back. Then one woman about nineteen with grimy, raven hair was thrown backwards into a wall and her breathe escaped sharply. A woman about thirty with chocolate skin and a shaved head was chained to her measly bed and left to ponder a lesson that dripped red from her cheek._

“Save the Pixie,” River repeated in a whisper until the thoughts started to diminish and she passed into an oblivious sleep.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**One week later**

Simon sat quietly at the empty table in the galley. Deep in thought, he almost didn't notice Mal slither in and wander towards the coffee. Rings around his half lidded eyes and a grim set to his face brooked no argument for the time being.

Simon waited for the Captain to finish his first cup as he stared at him. Mal's eyes turned from his cup to Simon in a sideways glare.

“What?” Mal said gruffly.

“River,” Simon said.

“What about River?”

“She has been quite upset this past week.”

“So?” Mal said as he scratched at a tuft of hair sticking up wrong from his head.

“She said there is a Pixie who needs to be rescued and you promised to talk to Jayne.”

“Oh ya,” Mal said as his eyes cleared a little, “Have to talk to Jayne bout some Angel he has ta know.”

“She's whimpering in her sleep, Captain,” Simon stated sternly, “I think its a bit more important than we think.”

Mal sat his second cup of coffee on the table and sat down quicker than he'd liked.

“She havin nightmares about Miranda?”

“Some,” Simon hesitated, “All the killing she had to do to save us creates a few hellish scenarios for her. This is different though.”

“How so?”

“Its like shes living the pain of another. It was worse a few days ago and I thought it might be a one off, but last night it was the worst yet.”

Mal stared at his cup of coffee before slamming it down. He braced himself for the slight burn as it was still a mite hot and stood up. He walked over to the sink, washed it out silently, and put it away.

Simon waited patiently. Mal strode over to him and folded his arms in front of him.

“You bout to get to the point some time today, Doc?”

“River and I think whomever she is connecting to has been moved to Persephone.”

“Aaand you want us to find this person.”

“Her.”

“Come again?”

“I'd appreciate it if you would keep an eye out for her.”

“Only way to know that is to take River with us,” Mal stated lifting a brow.

Simon sighed heavily, “I am aware.”

“Seems to me you don't like me taking River on missions. You changin your mind on that, Doc?”

Simon closed his eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them he held the Captain's gaze with a determined, yet defeated look.

“I understand what I am asking, Captain. In the end its River's decision. I guess it always was wasn't it?”

A look of disbelief crossed Mal's face.

“Are you sayin you think River is old enough to make decisions now. Seems you was always makin em for her. What changed your mind?”

Simon looked away uncomfortably and remained silent for a moment.

“I guess after Miranda I understand that we have both grown older. Learned new things, whether we wanted to or not. I may not always be there to protect her.”

“I don't think River needs protecting anymore, Doc. Though we will all take proper precautions to keep her safe.”

“I know,” Simon said quietly, “It is difficult to admit my little mei mei isn't so little anymore. Doesn't make her any less special though.”

“Darn straight,” Mal said nodding.

“So River goes with you on a perfectly safe mission,” Simon paused, “Hopefully.”

“Yeah yeah yeah,” muttered Mal, “Nothing ever goes according to the gorram plan.”

He started walking towards the bridge when Simon called out to him.

“Captain?”

“Yeah?”

“Jayne.”

“Don't worry, Doc,” Mal said smiling, “I'm just gonna go have a perfectly sane chat with him about Angels and Pixies. Might even work a few unicorns in there.”

 

**Outside Jayne's Bunk**

_Rap rap rap_.

“Whaddya want?” bellowed Jayne, still groggy with sleep.

“Do you know an Angel?” asked Mal.

“What!?” asked Jayne as he opened the hatch door to his bunk, “You been in the Doc's meds Cap?”

“I'm serious here, Jayne,” Mal said crossing his arms, “Do you know someone called Angel or Pixie?”

“This about all that mumbo jumbo River been spoutin off lately?” he asked.

“Few people on this boat think its a mighty bit more than mumbo jumbo, Jayne.”

“I been wrackin my brain since SHE asked me, Mal,” Jayne said shaking his head slightly, “Can't think of anyone, tho I don't get the name of EVERY woman I been with either.”

“Thank you for that disturbing image.”

Jayne cracked a grin and tilted his head slightly, “I been thinkin, Mal. Can't recall anyone.”

“Well then, keep on a thinkin after we get this job done. I'm gonna go talk to Wash and see how long til we land.”

“I'm gonna go get me some grub and load up then,” Jayne said with a new gleam in his eye.

 

**Bridge**

“Hey, Wash, how long til we land?” Mal said as he strode into the bridge.

“Well good morning to you too, Captain,” Wash said as he glared at the buttons and screens in front of him.

Mal stopped and looked at him, “Is no one getting sleep these days?”

“I get plenty of sleep,” Wash mumbled.

“Ah, too much information,” Mal said as he raised his hands in front of him, trying to hold off more details.

Wash glared at him more and sunk farther into his chair like a chastised child.

“Thats not all thats wrong is it?” Mal said cautiously.

“Zoe's been sick,” Wash said, “I'm worried about her.”

“Zoe's never sick,” Mal said with concern.

“Ergo why I'm worried, Captain!” Wash said louder.

“Okay okay,” Mal said raising his arms up again and taking a step back, “What do you wanna do about it?”

Wash looked at his dinosaurs.

“I think she should stay behind with the Doc while you and Jayne do the job.”

Mal thought for a moment, “She has refused to see the Doc eh?”

“Yes,” Wash said, “I think she needs an order from the captain since she sure as heck ain't listening to her husband!”

“Okay,” Mal said exasperated, “Calm down. Zoe will see the Doc and River is coming as backup anyhow so we got it all covered.”

Wash looked at Mal and let out a huge sigh. He sunk farther into the chair before realizing he couldn't see some of the screens anymore. He sat up lightening quick and nodded at Mal.

“Thanks, Mal.”

“Just takin care of my crew, Wash.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Persephone, Three hours later**

Wash landed _Serenity_ smoothly and hummed as Zoe glared at him from the other pilot chair. He merrily swung his chair to face Zoe and grinned.

“Something wrong my darling amazon?” he asked sarcastically.

“You went behind my back,” Zoe stated as her eyes narrowed to slits, “Making me see the Doc when everything is just FINE.”

“No pumpkin, everything is NOT fine,” he smirked, “I'm pretty sure I know why. That's why I'm smiling,” he said as he pointed at his smile.

“Why would something wrong with me make you smile?” she snarled lightly.

“Well I wouldn't say its something wrong,” he said grinning wider, “but its certainly something different that will effect the way you work.”

“I swear if you don't tell me what you're implying I will beat you.”

“Oh, foreplay? Already? It's not even noon,” he crooned.

Zoe stood with her fists clenched tight. Mal walked in and looked them both up and down.

“If you are planning to kill my pilot, please make sure its after the job.”

“I don't like this.”

“Since when don't you like the Doc?” Mal asked.

“Not that I don't like him,” Zoe said as she softened a bit, “Just don't think I need em thats all.”

“Well,” Mal said looking at Wash, “I'm makin it an order to have you checked out and back in tip top shape. Wash ain't the only one noticed you've been off lately.”

Zoe seemed to deflate a bit as she ran out of words.

“Yes sir.”

“See,” Mal said leaving the bridge, “Startin to sound normal already.”

 

**Cargo Bay**

Mal walked down the stairs and double checked his gun belt. When he reached the bottom he looked up to see River pacing back and forth with a fierce concentration. Jayne sat on a large crate near the medical lab watching River uncomfortably. Hearing Mal he glanced over at him and then back to River.

“She's in one of her moods,” Jayne said.

“She is not in a moooood!” River said loudly, “She is trying to calculate distance and probabilities.”

“What?” both men said.

She stopped and stared at Jayne, “The Angel is home. She knows this, Jayne should know this, but probability of Pixie following us and being on the same planet is minimal. Why is Pixie on the same planet. She feels her here, knows she's here. Can't connect with her since early this morning, something is wrong,” she ended in a whisper.

Simon walked out of the medical lab just as River ended her rant.

“River who is this Pixie and Angel,” he asked, “You've connected to them. You should know something else about them.”

River lowered her eyes to the floor as her lips moved in silent mumblings. The three men looked at each other and then back at River just as she raised her eyes sharply and looked at Simon as if seeing him for the first time. She grinned sadly.

“A friend,” she whispered, “Pixie is a friend.”

Simon raised an eyebrow and took a step towards River.

“A friend?” he asked

River hugged herself as a tear rolled down her cheek, “Loyal friend, honest friend. All my fault.”

“Mei mei,” Simon whispered reaching for her, “whats your fault?”

“Everything is my fault,” she sniffled as she sunk into his embrace, “Her pain, our pain. All my fault.”

Simon stiffened and pulled her gently away from him.

“None of this is your fault mei mei. Its the Blue Hands Corporation. You haven't done anything wrong.”

He pulled her back against him and looked at Mal.

“Perhaps my suggestion was a bit premature, Captain.”

River pulled back from Simon.

“No! She has to go with,” River said as she wiped the tears from her face and stared Simon down, “She has to find the Pixie.”

“I think its up to River, Doc,” Mal said gently, “Either way we don't have enough to do this job quickly without her.”

Simon sighed and nodded reluctantly. He turned to River who smiled slightly and nodded.

“I can do this Simon.”

“Alright mei mei, I trust you.”

River smiled wider as she sensed her brother finally letting her go.

 

**Few Moments Later**

Jayne, Mal, and River walked towards the main stretch of the town. Mal saw Kaylee going into a used parts shop and groaned. River smirked beside him as Jayne scanned the crowd. River searched mentally as she searched for the Pixie.

They continued through town and entered a small, quaint restaurant on the outskirts.

A short, plump man with buzz cut hair and coke bottle glasses approached them as they entered.

“Good morning,” he said jovially,” how can I help you three today?”

“We are expected I believe,” Mal stated.

“Oh yes yes,” the man said, “You are Captain Malcolm Reynolds I presume?”

“Last time I checked.”

“We have your table reserved in the corner just like my friend asked,” he said.

He showed them to their table and took their order for drinks. As he turned away towards the kitchens Sir Harrow walked through the doors smiling.

“Captain!” he said clasping his hands together loudly as he arrived at their table, “I see I'm right on time.”

He sat down and soon after four drinks arrived at their table.

“Thank you Terrance,” Sir Harrow said to the man.

“Your most welcome my friend, most welcome,” he said as he nodded and walked back to the kitchen.

“He'll keep a lookout for any trouble from his monitors in the back,” Sir Harrow said leaning forward, “I have directions here for you as to where the pickup is.”

He handed Mal a slip of paper.

“Last of the items arrived an hour ago,” he said apologetically, “I'm sorry I couldn't send you the information sooner.”

“No problem,” Mal said as he folded the paper and put it in an inside coat pocket.

“Drinks are on me,” Sir Harrow said as he knocked his back, exhaled loudly, and grinned.

He stood up, bowed, and walked out the door whistling.

Mal shook his head, knocked back his own drink, and stood as well.

“Well alright,” he said smirking, “Time to do a job.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Pickup Location Outside of Town**

Equipment was loaded quickly and quietly as the sun started to set. River continued to search through the minds of the locals as she finished the last of her load. Jayne secured it and got on the four wheeled ATV mule affectionately called _Gator_ while Mal and River secured themselves into a loaded four seated hover mule. It was the most efficient and it made work faster.

As Mal and River skirted the town, River felt a scared whimper in her thoughts. It crawled up her spine and cleared the fog clouding her mind. She grabbed Mal's arm and looked at him with pleading eyes. He spared her a quick glance and turned back towards the task at hand. River picked up his thoughts easily.

_Got to finish this first, Lil Albatross._

She sighed impatiently as she crossed her arms over her chest.

 

**Same Time in the Ship's Medical Lab**

“Well,” Simon stated, “Results are back.”

“And?” Zoe huffed impatiently.

“Congratulations.”

“Congratulations on what?” she fumed.

“Your pregnant,” Simon said as he removed his gloves and disposed of them.

Wash smiled widely from the door way with a told you so look. Zoe looked shocked as she turned to Wash. The look slowly faded as it sunk in slowly. A little smile started at the edge of her mouth as she brought a hand to her stomach.

“How long?” she asked quietly.

“Almost five months.”

“Shouldn't I have more weight on me by now?” she asked concerned as her thoughts changed.

“Not necessarily,” Simon said, “Women may show around four to six months depending on genetics and overall health. You are in prime health so that is not a factor here.”

“Well then,” she said as she stood.

She walked over to Wash and grabbed his Hawaiian shirt. She pulled him forward and kissed him until he gasped for breathe.

“Come on my fertile man,” Zoe said dragging him away, “Mamma needs a fix.”

Wash followed obediently with a huge grin on his face. They rushed up the stairs and almost ran into Inara. She smiled as she saw them pawing at each other and rushing to their bunk. She shook her head softly and slowly descended the stairs. She quietly entered the medical lab and saw Simon cleaning up.

“Well they seem happy,” she said.

“Yes,” he said cheerily, “Good news does that.”

“Good news?” she asked.

“I'll wait for them to tell everyone,” he said as he wiped his pristine counter again, “Shouldn't be too long I imagine.”

Inara nodded and nibbled on her lower lip. She waited for Simon to turn around.

He saw she was uncomfortable and asked, “Is there something wrong?”

“Well,” she said, “I'm running low on a medication and I haven't been able to get Mal to take me to one of the central planets for my yearly medical exam. If I don't go soon I will have my companion license pulled until it is complete.”

“How can I help?” he asked.

“I was wondering if there was an alternative to take temporarily if I were to run out,” she said clearing her throat.

“And what is it that you are taking?” he asked, “You wouldn't tell me before when you were sick. Its why I couldn't prescribe you anything.”

“Mal doesn't know.”

“Why would Mal need to know about your medication?”

Inara's gaze drifted to the floor as she remained silent.

She sighed deeply and took a step forward.

“Well...”

The sound of the cargo bay doors opening had her stop and turn. Simon followed her gaze and they both watched as Mal and River drove in soon followed by Jayne. Mal hopped off the hover mule and closed the doors. Jayne and Mal started unloading gear as River stood in Mal's way.

“River, job first.”

“She's here,” River pleaded, “We have to find her.”

“Who's here?” Inara asked confused.

“A friend,” River stated, “She is scared, I can feel her.”

Inara looked at Mal and he sighed loudly.

“Jayne, finish up here. Simon, let Wash know we need to take off as soon as we get back.”

“We?” Simon asked.

“River and I need to locate her friend,” he stated, “Our lil Albatross won't let it rest if we don't. You of all people should know that, Doc.”

Mal and River quickly unloaded the hover mule and hopped back in as Jayne reopened the hangar door. Mal piloted it out and back towards town. River's pulse picked up with anticipation as she tried to zero in on her friend, her Pixie.

 

**An Hour Later**

“Goods all stored and no word from the Captain,” Jayne said pacing back and forth.

“Give him time,” a more relaxed Zoe said as she played with the back of Wash's neck where he sat on the floor next to her.

“When they do get here,” Wash said, “We're all ready for take off.”

Kaylee sat on _Gator_ with a headset on. She shook her head softly whenever someone looked at her. They all waited for a word one way or the other. All she was picking up was static. Simon hovered near Kaylee while Inara sat down next to her and started silently tapping her foot. Jayne sat on another crate and started unloading and reloading his weapons.

_Click, click, snap. Click, Click, snap._

Simon started pacing behind Kaylee.

_Click, click, snap. Crackle, crackle._

Kaylee sat up straight as she concentrated on the new static.

_Crackle, crackle, “_ Kaylee?” _Crackle, crackle,_ “ready.”

“Captain?” Kaylee asked quietly.

Everyone stopped fidgeting and looked at Kaylee.

“Captain?” Kaylee tried again.

_Crackle, crackle,_ “Boat ready?”  _Crackle, crackle_ , “We,”  _crackle,_ “in route.”

Wash jumped up and bee lined it to the bridge. Jayne shut the gun barrel of his current gun and went to look out the open hangar door. Simon stood near Kaylee as she jumped up and radioed to the Captain.

“Ready here,” Kaylee said.

_Crackle, crackle._

“Captain,” Kaylee said, “READY HERE!”

_Crackle, crackle_ , “Comin in hot.”

The hover mule sped into the hangar bay with Mal and River. Mal jumped off and hit the button to close the door. He tapped the intercom harshly.

“Wash lets moon em.”

“I, I, Captain,” Wash said as he let her loose.

_Serenity_ sped off just as a top of the line hover vehicle approached their previous location. It braked suddenly and a man jumped out to stare at the escaping vehicle. He clenched his fists as he watched the ship disappear into the black of space.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Later that Evening**

Zoe approached the food filled table and sat down next to Wash.

“The Herald has been notified that we are en route,” she said.

“Good,” Mal said, “Sooner we get paid for this equipment, sooner we can get another job. He sounded like he had enough to keep us busy for a while.”

River twirled her food around on her plate. She sighed and set down the fork while she stared off in the distance. She tried to catch the threads of emotions from the fading planet, but nothing matched what she searched for.

“I'm going to lay down,” she informed them as she stood and walked out suddenly.

The table grew quiet at her absence. Jayne and Simon looked at each other before looking at Mal.

“You plannin on tellin us what went down?” Jayne said before shoveling warmed protein into his mouth.

Mal looked around the table as everyone else set their forks down and looked at him. Mal stared down at his plate and set his own fork down with a loud thud.

“Atherton,” he said firmly.

Everyone's eyes widened as they stared at Mal.

“What does that guy have to do with our River and her Pixie?” asked Kaylee.

Mal was silent for a moment as thoughts settled in his mind.

“The building she's in belongs to Atherton,” he said as he looked over at Simon, “Seems after he got that black mark on the companion registry hes been havin a bit of trouble keepin a woman.”

“So hes turned to slaves?” Inara said as sadness darkened her face, “That poor woman.”

“Not just one,” Mal said quietly.

Inara's head snapped up and her eyes widened, “How many?”

“Accordin to the rumors at the pub... more than a dozen.”

“You took River into a pub?” Simon asked.

“Its where you get the most information Doc,” Mal stated firmly, “Its also where we found out why shes called Pixie. Turns out any chance to be had to get any of the girls away...she takes it and smuggles others out, like magic.”

River appeared by the door, “Shes hurt when she does. Takes the pain and locks it away. No one sees it, she doesn't let it out.”

“River I thought you were going to lay down,” Simon said standing.

“She sensed you'd ask about her,” River met Simon halfway around the table and he put an arm around her.

“Have to help her, need a plan,” she said concentrating, “Security is tight. Got us into trouble. He wants the Captain. Wants to kill him slowly, to take Inara away and lock her up. His for always like a pretty canary in a gilded cage.”

Inara gulped hard as she looked at Mal, “What are we going to do?”

“The job,” he said, “All we can do right now. Get paid, get news on another job, and stop off to get our accumulated post and packages.”

Jayne's ears perked up, “Maybe I got me a letter from my mama again. She makes the best fudge brownies in the universe.”

River's bottom lip quivered and Simon pulled her into a full embrace.

“It's ok mei mei.”

“No,” River cried out, “Lara is not ok!”

River pulled away and ran all the way to her bunk where she threw herself on her bed. Simon looked after her in shock. Everyone turned to Simon.

“Lara?” Wash asked.

Simon continued to stare as he mumbled, “Lara is the Pixie?”

“Who's Lara?” Mal asked a little louder than Wash had.

Simon looked at Mal as if he'd seen a ghost.

“She was my sister's best friend. Shes the one who set me up with my contacts to get River out. She gave me untraceable credits to get us by until I could get River somewhere safe.”

He fell down in River's vacated chair and leaned on his knees with his face in his hands. Everyone looked around at each other and then towards the doorway River had just vacated.

Mal looked at Simon and said, “Any idea what happened to her after you skedaddled?”

Simon slowly looked up and removed the hands from his face, “I looked her up on the cortex after our fugitive status was removed. It said she'd been kidnapped, but no other details. I figured she was dead after all this time.”

“Apparently shes a mite stronger than you thought,” Zoe said.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**One Week Later**

Zoe signaled to The Herald that they were arriving and he transmitted a set of drop off coordinates. She sighed loudly as she put a hand to her stomach and Wash programmed the coordinates into the nav computer. His smile beamed at her. She looked at him and grinned as she stood up and walked out to find the Captain.

The Captain sat at the dining table cleaning his favorite gun. He didn't look up as Zoe stopped next to him.

“Take it we're on our way then?”

“Yes sir.”

“Anyone checked on River to see if shes up to this one?”

“Heading there next, sir.”

“Well alright.”

Zoe gave Mal a pat on the shoulder and headed towards River's room. Her door was open and she was laying on the bed staring at the ceiling. Zoe stepped in and River sighed.

“Yes the girl is up to it.”

“You doin ok?”

“She is doing as well as can be expected,” River said as she sat up quickly and bounced to her bare feet.

Zoe looked closer at her face and took a step forward. She put a hand on River's shoulder and tilted her head.

“You don't have to go it alone,” Zoe said quietly, “We're all family.”

The corner of River's mouth tilted up in a sliver of a smile as a tear escaped her eye.

“Hey,” Zoe whispered as she pulled River into a tight hug.

“Not the hugging type,” River muttered.

“You?” Zoe mocked.

“You,” River stated.

“Maybe I'm feelin a lil protective lately,” Zoe said thoughtfully.

“Because of the young one,” River said as she hugged Zoe back, “Five months and three days.”

Zoe leaned back a little and tilted her head again, “Five months and three days?”

River tentatively put a hand on Zoe's small belly, “Its been five months and three days since conception. I can sense her.”

“Her?” Zoe said smiling, “You can tell what it is?”

“Simon will concur,” River stated as she slowly backed away, “And she....I...am fine. We will find my friend and she too will become family.”

River let loose a toothy grin and bounced on the balls of her feet. She started singing a haunting lullaby and Zoe got the impression she was excused as River started dancing around her room.

Zoe stepped out of the room and headed towards the med lab. Simon saw her approach and met her at the door.

“Zoe,” he said nodding at her, “What brings you here for the moment?”

“River said she could tell I was havin a girl,” She paused, “Any way to know for certain?”

Simon grinned and gestured at the ultrasound machine.

“Usually I end up using it to check Mal and Jayne's insides, but it works well for checking on babies as well.”

Kaylee popped into the doorway, “Babies? Who's got babies?”

She saw Zoe sit down on the cot and smirk.

“ZOE!?” I didn't know you was havin a baby!”

“Just found out,” Zoe said, “Not much opportunity to tell anyone.”

Kaylee jumped up and down and bounced off.

“You know she will inform the whole crew of your impending motherhood?” Simon asked smiling foolishly as he stared after his lady love.

“Best way to tell everyone eh?” Zoe said as she awaited instructions from the Doc.

 

**Back in the Galley**

Kaylee bounced in to Mal putting away his gun cleaning kit into a small box. She pranced up to the Captain and grinned at him.

“Did you know Zoe and Wash are having a baby?! I'm going to go congratulate Wash!” Kaylee said in a singsong voice as she bounced off again towards the cockpit.

She almost ran into Jayne as she left. Jayne stared after her and raised an eyebrow as he turned to Mal.

“What's gotten into her?”

“Apparently Zoe and Wash are havin a baby.”

“How's that gonna work?” Jayne asked puzzled.

“I imagine once the baby is big enough it'll be born and...”

Jayne interrupted him, “I know about that Mal, I meant a baby on board.”

“Ain't any more dangerous on this boat then on a planet or other boat,” Mal stated calmly.

“Are you serious?” Jayne asked, “With what we do?”

“That a problem for you Jayne?”

“Nah Mal, I just figured it'd be a problem for you,” Jayne said as he adjusted his ammo belt.

 

**A Few Hours Later on the Surface**

They opened the cargo bay hatchway just as Wash set the coat down on the planet close to the coordinates. They loaded the cargo into the mules and heard a cough from the doorway. They all turned to see The Herald standing there smiling in his Sunday best.

“Welcome back,” he said, “I'm glad to see you were so prompt at retrieving our merchandise.”

“Should we be expectin trouble?” Mal asked calmly with his right hand hovering over his holster.

The Herald raised both eyebrows as he was caught off guard.

“Of course not,” he said, “Why would you ask that?”

“People have a tendency of thinkin they can double cross us,” Mal said.

“I assure you those are not my intentions,” he paused, “I'm sorry if I come off that way in any way. I was not expecting you quite so soon, but it means you may take more time on the next job if it is still your wish to continue working together.”

Mal relaxed and nodded, “Alright, point us out to where ya want this bit of fine merchandise and we'll take further instructions... with our payment of course.”

“Of course,” The Herald nodded grinning and stepping aside, “Right this way.”

 

**Back on Board**

“Well Captain,” Zoe said smiling, “This Herald seems to be the real deal don't he?”

“Yeah,” Mal said as he divided up the payment, “Seems we made ourselves a fine contact.”

River walked into the galley and hovered near Mal's left shoulder, uncomfortably close.

“Yes lil Albatross?” asked Mal as he handed her a portion of the coins.

She took the coins quietly and continued to stare at him. He sighed deeply after a few minutes and turned to her.

“This about your friend?” he asked quietly.

She nodded.

“We gotta have a plan.”

She nodded again.

“Next job takes us close to Persephone again, we got a bit of time to take on this one. We'll hit the postman up and we'll head to Persephone and see what we can dig up. Ok?”

She smiled and nodded again before gliding out of the room. Mal stared after her and then shook his head before returning to his counting.

 

**Later That Night**

Jayne slept soundly as dreams permeated his mind. A mixture of fantasy and memories assaulted him, causing him to toss and turn until his old blankets wrapped around his bare chest like a vice.

_Ghost like people danced in and out of view. His mother with her hair pulled out of her face and looking tired. Three of his sisters fawning over the youngest girl, Mattie, making sure shes comfortable and taking her medication. His father, long since dead, trying to arm wrestle his favorite uncle to settle some dispute between themselves. Finally the ghosts disappeared and everything slowed until it rested on his cousins. The youngest one turned to him and grinned mischievously as his mother stepped up next to her. She ran a hand through his cousin's hair and laughed._

_“Dontcha go getting cousin Jayne in trouble now ya hear? He'll be leavin soon to find work out in the black. Now be an Angel and go fetch those brownies we made for em eh?”_

Everything faded at jump speed and Jayne bolted up in bed breaking into a cold sweat as the vice like blankets took him straight to the floor.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Next Morning**

Jayne sat at the table in the galley. His mind continued to replay his dream memory over and over while his hands kept busy cleaning the same guns again and again. His jaw had a firm set to it and his eyes were a little wild as he tried to keep his breathe steady. His clothes were still rumpled from the day before as he had not paid attention to what he had put on. He slammed the last big clip into place and tried to loosen his stiff jaw. He heard footsteps approach the galley and his back straightened as he recognized them. River glided into the galley and headed straight for the cupboards. She reached for a knob and paused in confusion. She seemed to ponder something and slowly turned around to see Jayne stand up and stare her down.

“You shoulda told me,” he said hoarsely.

River stood silent as she tilted her head.

“You shoulda told me straight instead of tryin to play with my head,” he said louder as he took a firm step towards her.

“Angel is fine now. Now Jayne knows this,” she stated and walked into the main room.

“But I didn't know she was took!” Jayne said taking another step towards her, “My lil cousin put through who knows what while you prance around this boat actin all smart and perfect like you can do no wrong.”

River's face saddened as she looked to the floor.

“But River has done wrong,” she whispered as a tear escaped her left eye, “Killed all those people.”

River started to tremble as Jayne stopped with her sudden change of attitude. She started crying as she hugged herself. Jayne felt as if he'd had the stuffing knocked out of him as he saw her shake. His rage melted.

“Ah, what the hell?” he asked himself as he sighed and pulled her into his arms.

River shook as she whimpered into his chest.

“Those weren't people,” Jayne said, “Those were monsters made by other monsters.”

“Not them,” she whispered, “Simon doesn't know. Not about the ones at the academy. My training. Made me kill. Made me do horrible things.”

Jayne let out a big breathe as he finally understood, “We all regret somethin we couldn't control. You couldnta stopped them then.”

River stopped sniffling and pulled away, “Anymore than you could have stopped slavers from taking your cousin.”

Jayne's eyebrows rose sharply as he stared at her. His jaw stiffened a bit as her words swirled in his mind and he took a step away from her. He turned away and headed to the table where he scooped up his guns and headed back to his bunk. River continued to stand there as she stared after him with tears slowly drying off her face.

“Just because it isn't her fault,” River whispered, “Doesn't mean it was right.”

 

**Later That Evening in the Galley**

Everyone was sitting at the table except Jayne and River who arrived in the galley at the same time from opposite ends. They saw each other and paused in the doorway. Jayne nodded slightly and headed to his seat while River slowly made her way to her own. They passed around the dishes as they filled their plates and then began to eat. River and Jayne looked at each other and she nodded slightly as she read the question in his head. He leaned back a bit and looked over at Mal.

“Mal?” he said.

“Yes Jayne?” Mal said as he forked another roll onto his plate.

“I remembered Angel,” he said.

The table went silent as they all looked at Jayne.

“And?” Mal asked.

“Before I left home they threw me one hell of a shindig,” he said as he set his fork down and rubbed his hands together, “Family, friends, and heck even a few people that really wanted to see me gone.”

He leaned all the way against the back of his chair and looked at Mal, “Had me a small cousin named Andromeda named for her mother's big aspirations for her. Turned out she had a big heart as well.”

He paused as he looked back at his plate, “Mama called her Angel. Always doing the right thing, always helpin out, and that was tough. She was orphaned and mama took her in even with all our mouths to feed and Mattie bed ridden with the damp lung. She showed us what it meant to be a Cobb. She's my favorite. How could I not know she was took?”

“Jayne did know,” River whispered as she stirred around some dinner on her plate.

She looked up at Jayne and spoke louder, “Jayne had bad dreams. Knew something was wrong. Thats why Jayne needed to know Angel was ok. That Angel was safe. No more bad dreams.”

River went back to eating as if that were the end of it.

“That was two weeks ago,” Jayne said.

“Sixteen days,” River stated and went back to eating.

Simon looked at River and said, “You said you told Jayne that Angel was safe. How long between her being taken was she free?”

“Fifteen hours.”

“How does someone save someone that fast?” asked Mal.

“Someone that was planning on escaping herself,” Zoe said.

“She gave up her spot for my lil cousin?” Jayne asked, “Well, what are we planning on doing for her?”

River set her fork down onto her first clean plate in days.

“Save her of course,” she smiled.

 

**Later on the Bridge**

Mal, Zoe, and Wash stood in front of the wave view screen waiting for the call to go through.

“Think Monty can help us?” Wash asked.

“If anyone can it'd be Monty,” Mal said.

The static on the view screen changed to show Monty with a thin start of a beard.

“Mal!” Monty laughed out, “What can I do for ya?”

“Well I'm glad to see you're growin the beard back,” Mal said smiling.

“Yeah,” Monty scowled, “I owe you one for givin me the lowdown on that _wife_ of ours.”

“How bout we make things even then?” Mal asked.

“Yeah?” Monty said lifting an eyebrow, “How you mean to do that? It'd have ta be somethin big.”

“Oh it is,” Zoe said.

“Need some intel on a certain property on Persephone if you happen to still have a few folks that way in need of coin.”

“Which place you lookin to rob?”

“Not so much robbin as takin what don't belong to him,” Mal stated.

Monty sat back in his chair and smirked, “Wouldn't happen to be a certain bloke that lost a sword fight to our Mal now would it?”

Mal grinned, “Now how would a respectable scoundrel like you know anything about that?”

“Turns out my favorite sister loves to tell me all about the colorful life of high society. She has wonderful ways of staying invisible, just be the hired help.”

Mal's smile faded, “This is awful dangerous for any womenfolk who might not know how to fight.”

Monty's smile faded as well, “You mean the rumors she heard about the slaves Atherton keeps? You don't know the half of it Mal.”

“Whats that mean?” Wash asked.

“Its not just slaves hes been acquiring,” Monty paused, “Hes kidnapped a few companions too. Tight security. I wouldn't dare send just anyone in there. My sister is uglier than sin, but she has a good heart. Can put on quite the act when she needs to.”

“We should be on Persephone in about a week. We'll keep in touch and work out a plan from there,” Mal said

“Count me in too. I'm five days out from Persephone myself,”

“I'd appreciate that,” Mal said.

“So who'd he take?” Monty asked, “Not Inara?”

“No, River's best friend,” Zoe said.

“Well I certainly don't want to be on her bad side,” Monty said, “Atherton is in for a world of hurt if he makes that one mad.”

“Your tellin me,” Mal said.

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Six Days Later**

The whole crew stood around the galley table looking at maps of Atherton's mansion floors, grounds, and security. River softly mumbled numbers to herself as she memorized hallway lengths and room dimensions. Mal and Zoe made note of the locations the women were kept. Jayne focused on the security while Kaylee and Wash looked for structural flaws and mechanical equipment that could be exploited. Inara paced near the table as Simon tried to find a way to help.

“How many do you think were taken?” Inara asked as she stopped pacing and turned to Mal.

“Monty's intel said a little over a dozen slaves and three companions,” Mal stated as he looked up at her while leaning on the table with his hands.

“What could he possibly need with that many?”

“You once said he could keep you busy for days. Not everyone has that kind of stamina.”

“Do we know which companions he took?” Inara asked looking worried as she started pacing again.

“No,” Mal said shaking his head, “Doesn't matter much who at this point. What matters now is how we get in, free them, and get them out.”

Inara stopped pacing and turned back to Mal, “Me.”

“What?” Mal asked.

“Use me as bait,” she said as she approached the table and set a hand next to his.

“Out of the question.”

“Higher probability of working,” River stated.

They all looked at River.

“She goes, it has a higher probability of working,” River said as she reworked numbers in her head.

“Too dangerous,” Mal stated.

“Dangerous for everyone here Mal and I do have my own weapons,” Inara said touching his shoulder with her other hand.

“Not if she is protected,” River said as her calculations finished, “I will protect her.”

“Not gonna happen,” Mal said a little louder as he stood up and turned to River as he crossed his arms over his chest.

River scowled, “Inara is family. Lara is family. I protect family. They can't stop me.”

“We need you to help us find her. None of us know what she looks like, we need to make sure shes with the rest of them we spring out of there.”

“Simon knows,” River stated.

Simon stood taller, “Yes, I do Captain. I would recognize her anywhere. Even if hes hurt her somehow, she has identifying marks that can't be covered up easily.”

“Such as?” Mal asked.

“A purple rose tattoo on the back of her right shoulder,” Simon said thoughtfully.

“I'm likin this girl already,” Jayne said smirking.

“She'd like you as well,” River said matter of factly.

They all looked at River.

“She would,” River said, “Besides she loves to cook.”

“Now I'm fallin in love,” Jayne said.

Mal shook his head at the light banter and looked back to the maps.

“Be better to draw him somewhere else,” Mal said.

“Then we'd need to keep eyes on him,” Zoe stated.

“Monty's contact might be able to do that for us,” Mal said.

“He would not wait long,” River said, “Probability of him staying anywhere for longer than fifteen minutes is extremely low.”

“As long as we get everyone loose and headed out before he makes it back to grab someone as a human shield,” Zoe said.

Mal sighed, “Good point. We have a bit more thinking to do on this.”

 

**Next Morning**

The crew awoke with their usual routines while the ship came closer to Persephone. They received a wave from Monty for coordinates to meet up and discuss the best plan.

River meditated on the small table in front of the couch while Simon argued with himself on which vital medicines he would bring with in case of emergencies. Jayne debated which guns to bring as he pocketed a few grenades. Wash and Kaylee talked quietly on the bridge as they watched the others get ready. Zoe and Mal were already packed and ready to go when the ship landed gently. Mal let Monty and a couple of his crew on board and they all gathered around the table in the galley as they hashed out the final details.

 

**Evening**

Inara was in her favorite red and gold gown with her hair up in twirls and curls. She had gold filigree combs on both sides above her ears. She put River in a deep blue, ankle length gown with seed pearls that started at the hem and danced across the front of the dress until it circled her neckline. It looked like a pearl root if you looked closely. She hid her weapons in secret pockets Inara had in all her gowns. River looked like a true companion.

River stepped out of her room and Simon's mouth dropped open.

“You look beautiful,” Simon said as he held in his thoughts about River and dating.

River simply smirked and walked past him on her way to the spare shuttle.

Inara and River readied the spare shuttle and headed out to the evening festivities. Inara had called in a favor for a couple of tickets to a well known ball. Atherton would hear of her presence one way or another she had told River. River had simply nodded.

 

**Ballroom**

Inara and River glided into the ballroom. Inara introduced River to many of her friends and both were asked for numerous dances. River tried not to talk since she knew her sentences fragmented on numerous occasions and she was always by Inara's side when she finished a dance. She tried to block out the lecherous thoughts of some of the gentlemen and it caused a small crease to appear between her eyebrows. A young gentleman stepped up next to Inara when another left.

He spoke in a voice low enough to not be overheard, “You may wish to know that Atherton is on his way here. I would be very cautious if I were you.”

Inara looked at the young gentleman sideways and said, “I'm afraid I have not met your acquaintance.”

The young man watched couples dance and weave on the floor.

“I am Atherton's younger brother,” he stated as he tugged gently on the bottom of his waistcoat, “I do not agree with his methods. Should you need protection I will do my best to help you. I'm afraid he's always been superior to me.”

“He's not as smart,” River uttered.

The young man looked up and smiled at River, “Forgive my rudeness, I am Richard.”

“River.”

Richard smiled at River, “Its true I did outdo him in school, but alas school is over.”

“Not all lessons are taught in the classroom,” River stated.

“True,” Richard said, “My brother does however outdo me in swordplay and … other things.”

“A measure of a man is not how many women he has had, but how many he has truly loved,” River said.

“He has loved none, obsessed over yes. Never loved,” Richard said sadly.

“You mean me,” Inara said.

“Yes,” Richard said, “It is not a healthy obsession I'm afraid.”

“He wishes to kill her,” River said gently, “He will not succeed.”

Richard looked at River again and stared deep into her eyes, “No, I imagine he won't. Insanity has its own end I'm afraid.”

They heard a few mutterings near the entrance and turned that way. Inara sighed heavily as she saw Atherton enter the room. He grinned at Inara from across the room.

“Let the game begin,” River said.

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Atherton's Mansion**

It was quiet as the sun finally disappeared. Mal's crew was already in place. Simon stayed close to Mal as they waited for Jayne to give the go ahead. They anticipated two alarms to disarm with the paranoid state Atherton had seemed to be in after the last visit. Atherton had left quickly twenty minutes before, dressed perfectly for the ball. Mal had simply taken a deep breath and tried to concentrate on their part in the job.

“Two alarms deactivated,” Jayne said over the headset, “All quiet like even.”

“Don't jinx us yet,” Mal said sternly, “We're going in. Meet you once we've cleared our section.”

Jayne and Zoe checked rooms as they went through the East side of the mansion's main floor. Guards were knocked out and tied up. None of them even saw them coming. Mal did the same in the lesser used West side of the mansion with Simon in tow. They all met at the top of the basement steps. Zoe nodded as she took her post to watch the steps. Mal, Jayne, and Simon quietly descended into the basement. The steps came to a huge room that looked like a high class prison. Each section along the outer walls of the room were barred with a single locked door. Beds were covered in silk and the women were all in extravagant dresses. All but one. An older woman dressed in a maid's outfit sat on the floor inside the cell nearest the steps. She was breathing hard and holding her side.

“Monty's sister,” Mal said quietly.

They rushed over to her as quiet as they could be. The other women had noticed them, but hadn't uttered a peep. They simply stood stiffly and slowly walked to the doors to better watch them.

“Hey old gal,” Mal said as he reached through the bars to gently shake her shoulder.

She painfully turned to Mal and smiled, “Knew ya were comin soon. Got busted tryin to help one of the girls he was beatin on. Key is digitally coded. Hoped ya came prepared for that.”

Jayne smirked and pulled a small data pad out of a pocket on his left leg. He hooked it to the expensive looking locking mechanism and a few moments later it hissed open. As Mal helped her to her feet, Jayne systematically unlocked every lock on the cages as Simon looked for Lara.

“Thats all of them,” Jayne stated as he tucked away his data pad.

“She's not here,” Simon whispered.

Mal looked over at Simon and raised a brow while shouldering the weight of Monty's sister leaning heavily against him.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Lara isn't here Captain,” Simon said sadly shaking his head, “She must be in another cage.”

“What ur lady look like?” asked a dainty black woman with heavy makeup on her face.

“Lara has a purple rose tattoo on her shoulder,” Simon said, “We were told she was here with all of you.”

“The Pixie?” the girl asked, “Guy who keeps us took her to some ball tonight. Said he had some point to drive home.”

Mal, Jayne, and Simon looked at each other with grim expressions.

“Can't anythin go right for once?” Mal asked as he motioned for the girls to follow them, “At least we'll get you ladies to safe harbor.”

They all nodded with relief and followed close behind Simon. Seventeen women in all once they found Lara. How could one man steal so many, keep so many.

“On our way up,” Mal said into the headset.

“Copy that Cap,” Zoe said as she listened for any complications.

They made their way out the West side entrance and back to Serenity. While Simon saw to their general health and injuries, Mal changed into a suit he'd sworn to never wear to a ball again. As he headed towards the cargo bay doors, Simon stopped him.

“Captain,” Simon said.

“Ain't nothin you can say thats gonna stop me Doc,” Mal said as he started to walk out.

“I'm not trying to stop you,” Simon seethed, “I want you to stop this bastard.”

Mal stopped suddenly and walked the few steps back to Simon, “You never talk like that Doc. What did you find?”

Anger flooded Simon's eyes as he clenched his jaw.

“It's a miracle they were able to walk themselves out of the mansion,” Simon said, “Bruises, lacerations, burn marks... one has a sprained ankle, and Monty's sister was stabbed and left for dead. Two have broken arms and all of them have evidence of repetitive rape, except Monty's sister.”

Mal's anger soon mirrored Simon's as he continued, “If he did this to Lara and tries to hurt my sister... I will find new uses for my medical tools, Captain. He won't die quickly.”

“You see to their hurts Doc,” Mal ground out, “I'll see to the killin.”

As Mal walked out the ship, he heard Jayne warn him that the mansion job had been too easy. He nodded that he'd heard as he continued to his destination.

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Ballroom**

Atherton emerged from the crowd with a woman dressed in red silks. Inara recognized the dress as being similar to one of her own with gold brocade trimmings. Her hair was piled high on her head in a stylish mess of curls. The chandelier hanging above them made tiny twinkles of light bounce off her dark red and brownish hair. Her makeup was perfect, but a slight swelling on her right cheek could be detected with a trained eye.

Inara frowned as she took it all in at a glance. This was not a companion known to her, but she had a gracefulness that screamed nobility. Inara felt River stiffen next to her as she caught sight of Atherton's plus one.

River looked at the woman affectionately, but the woman did not look up from the floor a few steps in front of her. River's eyes narrowed as her gaze swept to Atherton's. He raised an eyebrow in confusion until she took a step closer to Inara.

“A female escort for a female companion?” Atherton purred as his gaze swept up and down River's frame.

“Not here Atherton,” Richard said sternly as he took a step forward.

Atherton's eyes became slits as he stared at his brother, “And why is that baby brother?”

“You've sullied enough of our family's reputation,” Richard stated firmly, “Can't you just let things be and move on?”

“So you can take over my small empire?” Atherton chastised, “I think not.”

Richard's shoulders stiffened as Atherton dismissed his brother with a single glance.

“I am interested in who your friend is, Inara,” Atherton said, “I did not realize we had any visiting socialites here with enough money to pay for you. Pray tell me dear, who are you and what brings you to our lovely planet?”

“I am River,” She said firmly as she straightened, “You will return what you have taken.”

The woman's head whipped up to look at River's face and her eyes widened in surprise. She relaxed a bit as a ghost of a smile started to form on her lips.

“River?” she whispered as Atherton swung his head towards her.

“Lara, it will be alright,” River reassured her as her gaze swung back to Atherton's.

His eyes narrowed again as he looked at River.

“I don't know what you are talking about,” Atherton stated.

River raised her voice as she continued speaking, “Would you prefer we have you arrested for kidnapping, Atherton Wing? I'm sure no one would put it past you.”

A few heads began turning at River's raised voice and more decided to wander closer to listen to whatever gossip they may pass along.

“I have kidnapped no one and I find the mere suggestion of it insulting,” he stated as he raised his voice as well.

“Lara Kindle is shown on the cortex as being kidnapped over one year ago from her home on Osiris,” River stated as she took a step towards Atherton.

“I don't know any Lara Kindle,” Atherton said as his grip on Lara tightened.

“I am Lara Kindle,” Lara said in brave, but shaky voice.

A crowd started to gather around them and their host pointed them out to security.

Atherton's frown turned into a snarl as he leapt at River. River stepped and turned slightly to the left as Atherton missed her and headed towards the ground. He hit the floor and his anger grew as he hauled himself up and took a swing at River who grabbed his sailing arm, twirled towards his body, and twisted her wrists. A loud snap echoed across the ballroom as Atherton dropped to his knees and his arm hung at a strange angle.

Lara stood there looking at Atherton and then River with her mouth open like a fish gasping for air. She finally settled her sights on River and took in deep breaths as River put an arm around her. Small tears escaped from her eyes as security pulled Atherton up and dragged him away.

Richard handed Inara a card and said, “Should you need anything I may provide.”

Richard bowed to the women and followed security out. Two officials showed up to interview the women and the rest of the crowd. Lara held on to River's arm like she would disappear if she let go. After a few minutes, the officials released them just as a very confused and angry Captain strode through the door.

 

**Back on Serenity**

Simon continued to treat the women they had rescued from the mansion. One after another he healed and bandaged what could be treated. Some wounds couldn't be mended with gauze and tape. As he efficiently saw to each woman, Kaylee directed them to a bunk to rest. She had moved Simon's things into her room. The women would have to share bunks and the furniture in the galley would be full, but they'd be safe. Wash, Zoe, and Jayne gathered clothing and bedding for the women.

“We're a bed short for the Pixie,” Jayne muttered.

“I'm sure River will want to keep her close until shes better,” Simon said.

Zoe nodded as she headed to the galley to help Kaylee with supper, Wash headed to the bridge to await orders from Mal, and Jayne returned to the cargo bay to wait.

Mal was just returning in the dark with Inara, River, and Lara as the women finished settling in.

Jayne met them at the cargo bay door. They came on board one after the other and Jayne closed and locked the door. He turned towards them and locked eyes with Lara. All manner of speech left him as his brain misfired and ricocheted down his body.

“How are the others?” Mal asked Jayne.

Jayne just kept staring at Lara as she tilted her head slightly.

“Jayne!” Mal said.

Jayne snapped out of it and looked at Mal, “Uhh, better Mal. Settled in for the night if we don't have any unforeseen circumstances.”

“We're headin off, but at our own pace,” Mal said as River carefully pried Lara away from Jayne's stares.

Lara looked back over her shoulder at Jayne and caught him staring at her again. He actually turned a nice shade of red as he rubbed the back of his neck and reported to Mal.

“Shes fancier then I imagined,” Jayne mumbled.

Mal shook his head, “Atherton had her dolled up as close to Inara as possible. I got the impression she was his favorite.”

Jayne suddenly felt anger slide through him, “Bastard get what was comin to him?”

Mal looked at Jayne with regret, “Unfortunately no. He was arrested for the kidnapping of one Lara Kindle. Likely he'll get off scott free if his brother can't handle the situation.”

Jayne rolled his shoulders to ease the stiffness that had accumulated.

“Tho our Albatross broke his arm,” Mal snickered.

Jayne raised an eyebrow, “Did she now? I guess shes turnin out just fine then.”

Mal slapped Jayne on the shoulder and headed to his bunk to change out of his monkey suit. Jayne headed to the Medical Lab to check on Simon's new patient.

Lara sat gently on the medical bed as Simon brought a micro x-ray over to check for any breaks.

“Nothings broken Simon,” Lara whispered, “Not physically anyway.”

Simon slowly set down the x-ray and sat on a chair across from her.

“You know better than anyone what I'm looking for,” Simon said gently.

“Yes,” Lara said with a stronger voice, “I have bruising on the left cheek, right arm, and lower back,” she continued in a clinical voice, “Healed lashing marks across my entire back and rear. Left wrist is sprained and has gone untreated. Internal damage of the....of the...” at this her voice broke and tears poured down her cheeks.

Her body wracked with sobs as Simon found himself caught between wanting to console her and fear of what any male contact might make her feel. Suddenly he saw Jayne in front of him. Jayne sat next to her and put his arms around her. He made reassuring sounds as he gently rocked her side to side and her arms encircled him. She cried harder and Jayne gently patted her upper back as he continued to rock her. He looked at Simon who just smiled thankfully. He nodded and refocused on Lara. None of them noticed River in the doorway holding up a small part of her dress in one hand, holding her uncomfortable shoes in the other, and smiling thoughtfully as she stared at the scene in front of her.

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Wee Hours of the Morning**

Lara sat on a large, plain crate in the cargo bay staring at the doors. They hadn't left since the authorities wanted statements from the other women. Atherton no longer held them captive. They were free. The Captain had informed them he'd drop them wherever they needed to go before they all settled in for the night. Many of them no longer had homes and had accepted Inara's suggestion of attending the companion academy. She had already secured them spots. A few lived on nearby planets.

What of Lara? She was unsure of how to tell them she couldn't go home, but the companion academy held no interest to her. She had trained to be a nurse, was top in her class, at her father's behest. Saving people by Simon's side had been wonderful, but nursing had not held any other appeal to her.

She smiled a little as she remembered baking River a cake to make her happy. Cookies one time for Simon. A souffle for her mother. Her father had scoffed at her cooking skills. It simply wasn't something one could make a career in. _Unless you plan to waste your life away as a wife_ he had said. She had never seen her mother look so insulted before as she scowled at her husband.

No, she couldn't go home. Not just because of her father, but because of the alliance.

Lara turned her head as she heard small steps approach. Without looking, she knew it was River who sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Lara leaned against her.

“Stay,” River said.

Lara looked up at her.

“Here?”

“Yes,” River said simply, “Simon sometimes needs help.”

“That's a poor reason to stay,” Lara said shaking her head.

“I'd miss the sweets you make,” River said smiling.

Lara chuckled softly and said, “Don't suppose the Captain needs a cook eh?”

River looked at her seriously, “Food here tastes like shoe leather.”

“How would you know what shoe leather tastes like?” Lara asked as she nudged her with her shoulder.

“Well, have to try everything so people can't prove me wrong,” River said as she rose an eyebrow and flipped her hair.

Lara laughed harder as she held River's hand, “I almost forgot what it was like to laugh.”

“Don't worry,” River said as she nodded her head determined, “We can have lots of practice at the expense of the males.”

Lara's eyes glittered a bit as she smiled. Her thoughts drifted to the different men aboard. Wash was hopelessly in love with his wife, the Captain obviously loved Inara, and Simon was with Kaylee and she knew she could trust him with her life. What of Jayne? He seemed intimidating at first, but the way he had held her while she cried showed a soft spot in him.

“He's alright,” River said as she smirked, “I knew you'd like him.”

“I'm not sure I'm in a condition to like anyone right now.”

“I didn't mean you had to grab him and have your way with him against a wall this instant,” River scolded gently.

Lara grinned at the image, “I don't suppose anyone would consider that appropriate for anytime.”

“You never know,” River said thoughtfully, “Jayne would probably like that.”

Lara was quiet for a moment, “Thank you.”

“For what?” River asked even though she knew the answer.

“For not tiptoeing around me like I'm a fragile doll,” Lara stated as she straightened her back, “Bad things have been happening to me for a while now and I'm made of stronger stuff than some.”

This time River became quiet. Lara looked at her after a few minutes.

“What?”

“Its all my fault.”

Lara took River's face in both hands and turned her to look into her eyes.

“None of this is your fault,” she stated firmly, “All you wanted was knowledge. The alliance twisted all of this into one big experiment. They lied to you, hurt you, and wouldn't let you come home.”

River looked at her sadly, “I meant why you were taken.”

Lara's face saddened slightly too, “I would risk everything a thousand times over if it meant Simon was able to get you out of there.”

“It wasn't slavers that took you,” River said softly.

Lara dropped her hands and clasped them in her lap with her head bowed.

“No,” she whispered, “It wasn't.”

 

**Meanwhile in Jayne's Bunk**

Jayne lay in his bed with his hands tucked under his head as he stared at the ceiling. Sleep had eluded him all night and his thoughts were focused on only one thing. Lara Kindle. He liked her. Only thing he could think of that made him restless. She was off limits though. After all that had happened to her she'd probably never go near another man again let alone bed down with one. Not that he only thought of her that way. He felt a prehistoric need to protect her. Some of the other girls were going to go off to the academy for fancy companions. He got the impression they felt a need for control over their lives. He understood that. Its one of the reasons he was on this crew. Mal seemed to listen to him, even if he didn't go along with what he said all the time. He listened and he counted on Jayne in a way that felt good. To be needed for more than your gun.

He sat up and put his bare feet on the floor as he stared down. This felt like back home. Like family.

His stomach rumbled and he grinned as he shook his head. Food he could figure out. He stood and walked over to his ladder. He climbed up and out of his bunk and made his way to the galley wishing the whole way that he'd put on some socks and a shirt.

 

**Galley**

River had gone back to bed and Lara had headed straight to the galley to satisfy River's sweet tooth. She removed her sweater and set it aside leaving her arms bare in the sleeveless shirt Zoe had lent her. She was bigger and older than River, so her clothes wouldn't fit. She also had a bigger chest than Zoe, so the shirt was a bit snug. Inara had found a pair of pants that fit her, told her she never wore pants anymore so she could keep them. They fit nicely on her and she felt a little self conscious without the sweater. She walked around the tiny kitchen investigating the cupboards as her bare feet started to grow cold. River had insisted on painting her toe nails purple with silver glitter earlier to make her feel better.

She found a mixing bowl and enough ingredients to make a decent cake. She frowned at the dehydrated eggs and shook her shoulders. She'd have to make do with what they had. If River didn't eat it all before everyone else was awake, the crew would have a thank you cake. She paused and thought for a moment. Maybe she should just make breakfast too. It had been a while since she'd been allowed to be in a kitchen much less cook in one. Who knew when she's get another chance. She stood and knocked a lower cupboard closed with her hip. She nodded to herself.  _ Perhaps Captain Malcolm Reynolds would let me stay if I cooked something better than shoe leather. _ The thought made her grin as she dug out a couple more pans and ingredients. She found a small step stool secured to the wall at the edge of the kitchen and used it to look in the upper cupboards. She found a few small bottles towards the back of one that looked pretty new.  _ Spices! _ She grinned widely as she thought of River.  _ She must have put those here. _ She scooped them all up and turned to step off the stool. She stepped down and bounced right into a bare chest.

Jayne took in her wide grin and sparkling eyes as he saw her spot the spices and scoop them up. He didn't realize he had moved so close while she quickly turned and stepped down until he felt her collide into his chest. He grabbed the sides of her arms to steady them both and help her to not drop the spices.

She looked up at him still smiling, but a little surprised. Her smile lessened a bit as she started staring at his bare chest, which touched the backs of her clenched hands. She didn't want to drop the spices, yet she wasn't sure she should be so close to him. She liked the feel of his chest hair against her hands more than she thought she should. She carefully backed away staring at his chest as a blush swept across her face.

They both heard some of the women shift around in their sleep outside the kitchen area. Lara and Jayne had almost forgotten about them. She moved quietly as she set the spices on one of the small counters. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and tried not to look at Jayne.

Jayne was unsure of what to say or do. He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand as he tried to form a coherent sentence in his head. Just as he thought of something, his stomach rumbled loudly.

Lara smiled and snuck a peek at him.

“I think I can help with that,” she said quietly as she reached for the partially mixed cake batter.

Jayne smiled back, “I'll uh...just go get a shirt....” he said as he backed up slowly and tried not to trip over anyone.

 

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Galley a Few Hours Later**

The table was over loaded with food. The women had slowly awoken to the wonderful smells coming from the kitchen. They had slunk to the table one by one and filled themselves to the brim before sitting in the living room area to chat quietly.

Jayne sat at the table testing every dish that appeared and eating more than his fair share of the bounty before him. He had went back to his bunk for more than a shirt. He had come back scrubbed up and fully clothed in clean clothes down to his freshly wiped boots. Mal stumbled into the galley following the aromas in the air and he stopped to look Jayne up and down. Then he saw Lara in the kitchen smiling and humming softly as she washed a few mixing dishes. He frowned before the aroma overtook him and led him straight to the table where he loaded up his own plate and dove in.

Lara saw the Captain and walked over with a cup in one hand and coffee in the other. She set the cup down and started to pour.

“Jayne said you were a coffee person,” Lara said as she finished pouring and walked back to the kitchen.

Mal stopped, swallowed hard, and just looked at the coffee.

“Where did you rustle up real coffee?” Mal croaked as he pounced on the cup.

River strolled in and took a piece of pancake off Mal's plate, “I stocked up on what Lara would call essentials when we were last on Persephone before our job.”

Lara looked at River, “You knew I'd be here.”

River nodded and took a whole pancake off Mal's plate.

Mal hovered a hand over his plate and glared at River, “Get ur own.”

River snickered and took the spot across from Jayne. She loaded up a plate and dove in as well.

“Where'd you learn to cook like this?” Mal asked with a half stuffed mouth.

“My mother,” Lara said smiling sadly as she dried a bowl and put it away.

“You must be achin to get home then,” Jayne said quietly as he stared at his plate frowning.

“I wouldn't say that,” she said as she walked in and sat next to Jayne.

She loaded up a plate and started eating.

“There a reason you don't wanna go home?” Simon asked as he walked in a grabbed a plate before sitting next to River.

Lara stopped eating and looked up slowly at Simon. He saw a sadness there.

“Lara?” Simon asked.

Lara's throat felt like it was sore and her mouth glued shut. Her eyes watered a bit before she smiled and shook it off.

River looked at Simon and said, “Shes not welcome home anymore than we are.”

River looked back at her plate and stabbed a pancake viciously. Simon looked from River to Lara and back again.

“I thought you were kidnapped?” Simon asked confused.

Jayne, Mal, and Simon looked at Lara. She swallowed hard and looked at River.

“Not by slavers,” she whispered as she lost her appetite.

Lara looked at her plate and pushed it away. She stood and headed back to the kitchen to finish washing up the dishes.

River looked at Mal and whispered, “Alliance.”

Zoe and Wash walked in closely followed by Kaylee as Jayne, Simon, and Mal looked towards the kitchen with concern. Zoe caught the look, but made no comment as she sat down next to Wash.

“Someone sure knows how to cook Cap,” Wash said as he loaded his plate.

Zoe nodded in agreement, “Wouldn't happen to be anyone we could hire could it? Cap always said we should hire a cook.”

“One of my better ideas actually,” Mal said thoughtfully as he finished his plate.

 

**An Hour Later**

Dishes were all clean and put away. Food was packed up and stored for snacking. Mal sat at the table again for a different purpose. Lara sat next to him as he offered her a job. Her eyes lit up and she smiled as she nodded her acceptance. They discussed terms and shook hands. Mal stood and headed to the bridge. Lara stood and ran off to find River.

She found River in her room reading a book. She ran over to her and hugged her hard. River smiled and returned to her book.

“Told you we needed a cook,” she stated as Lara smiled at her.

 

**Bridge**

“Wash are they lettin us loose yet?” Mal asked as he stepped up next to Wash sitting in his chair.

“You are going to love this Mal,” Wash said as he spun the chair towards him grinning.

“What?” Mal asked confused.

“One of the women you saved had a husband that tracked her to this planet. Turns out he was looking for information on his wife in a local bar here when the news came on with the story about Atherton.”

“Yeah?” Mal asked waiting for the rest.

“He contacted us about a meet up to see if his wife is really here,” Wash said, “He informed me that Atherton would not be hurting anyone again.”

“Hows he so sure?” Mal asked.

Wash sat back in his chair and said, “Atherton's little brother is going to be testifying against him and it looks to me like he'll get life. His brother had evidence of other....illegal activities. While in custody Atherton sustained a few injuries from other inmates.”

“So basically he got the crap beat out of him and hes goin to jail for life?” Mal asked.

“So it would seem Cap,” Wash said cheerfully as he swung his chair back around, “And we're free to leave once the husband meets up with us.”

Mal thought for a bit, “Only time I've regretted not killin a man.”

 

**Couple Hours Later**

The woman who had told them Atherton had taken Lara to the ball waited anxiously in the cargo bay as the door slowly opened. The crew stood with her and a few other women from the same planet. A short, young man walked in and looked around as his eyes adjusted after being in the bright light. His eyes stopped as he saw her. He smiled and walked towards her as fast as he could. She met him halfway and they hugged tight. She stood a foot taller than him, but you could tell they were deeply in love. She whispered in his ear and he nodded. She motioned for the other women to follow. He would take them all back to their planet and make sure they were returned to their family. The women waved their thanks and followed the couple out of the ship.

As the door closed behind them the crew wandered off to pick up where they had left off. Wash prepped the ship for takeoff while Zoe, River, and the remaining women picked up all the clothing and bedding while setting the rooms to rights. Kaylee tinkered on a repair and Simon showed Lara around the medical lab. Jayne went off to his bunk to finally sleep he hoped as Mal sat on the bridge. Once they had departed, Mal showed Wash the map of where the nearest companion academy was. They would drop off two women on a planet before that, eight would go to the academy, and the last two made their home on the same planet as their next job. Sometimes things went smoothly. Mal wasn't inclined to believe this luck would hold however.

His thoughts drifted to breakfast as he remembered the scene he'd walked in on. He stood and made his way to Jayne's bunk. He knocked and heard a loud groan.

“Can't a guy get some sleep?” Jayne hollered as he opened the hatch and climbed up glaring at Mal.

“What exactly did I walk in on this mornin?” Mal asked.

Jayne looked at Mal in total confusion.

“Huh?”

“This mornin I walked in to breakfast to find you all spiffed up and our new cook humming and smiling away. Do I need to be concerned about somethin here?” Mal asked as he crossed his arms in front of him.

Jayne's eyes cleared as he caught Mal's insinuation and his eyes narrowed, “I'm not the type to take advantage of a woman. Can get plenty of willin ones, don't need to force myself on anyone.”

“I seem to recall a speech from old Shepard Book. Part of that made mention of a special hell for those who take advantage of young women,” Mal stated firmly.

Jayne straightened to his full height, “I haven't done anything to her Mal. Lara saved my cousin. Don't you think I'd feel a mite protective of her too? Do you take me for an animal?”

They heard someone clear their throat loudly. They both turned to find Lara standing there with a plate full of cookies. They both seemed to shrink in size as she raised an eyebrow at them and shook her head.

“I can hear you two all the way in the kitchen,” Lara stated as she turned to Mal, “Captain I am quite capable of speaking for myself. I do appreciate the sentiment, but I'm not made of china.”

She turned to Jayne and shoved the plate of cookies at him, “You haven't tried these yet.”

She turned and stormed back into the galley. Jayne and Mal looked at each other with wide eyes.

“I guess she knows what she wants then,” Mal said quietly before smirking, “Good luck with that. Hurt her and the Tams will probably kill you.”

He turned towards his own bunk and started whistling as he headed off. Jayne looked down at the cookies and then towards the galley. His gaze returned to the cookies as he grinned and started back down to his bunk.

After eating the whole batch and drifting off to sleep, despite the sugar rush, he remembered something his mother used to say about his dad.  _ Way to a man's heart is through his stomach _ . He just smiled and finally dozed.

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Next Morning**

Jayne woke early and headed to the galley to find Lara already grabbing mixing bowls out of the cupboards. She turned to see Jayne and smiled.

“Have you come to stir for me again?” Lara asked as she rubbed her sprained wrist.

Jayne nodded and yawned as he entered the kitchen. Lara shook her head.

“How can you be tired with all that sleep you had yesterday?” she asked.

Jayne looked at her, “Wasn't sleepin the whole time, woke up and had somethin stuck in my head that wouldn't go away.”

“And what was that?” she asked as she moved a pan.

“Not sure if I should tell you” Jayne mumbled quietly as he frowned into the batter.

“Glare at that batter too hard and I won't need an oven,” she said lightly, “And no dodging.”

Jayne mixed harder than he needed as he kept quiet.

She poked him in the side and said, “Oh come on, surely it wasn't that bad?”

He looked over at her with piercing eyes that made her breathe a little harder, “You.”

He turned back to the bowl.

“Oh,” she said unsure of what else to say, “Was I as annoying as I am now?”

Jayne stopped mixing and set the bowl flat on the counter with a thud. He turned silently towards her and pulled her into his arms, hugging her. She was surprised and held herself stiffly as his head rested against the top of hers. She slowly started to melt into his arms as she rested her head against his chest. He just stood there hugging her. He made no move to do anything else. He took a deep breath and inhaled the scent of her hair. She smelled faintly like River's flower shampoo with a hint of mint and vanilla. She closed her eyes and just enjoyed the hug.

After a few minutes he took a deep, shaky breath and slowly leaned back. He turned around and went back to quietly mixing. Lara just stood there with her arms empty. She felt a loss, but didn't understand it. She had no claim on this man. She felt unworthy of claiming anyone. She slowly moved towards the pan she had pulled out and they worked in a comfortable silence.

Jayne rubbed his left shoulder trying to work out the tension that had started to build in them since they had acquired themselves a cook. Lara peered over at him and her fingers twitched. She was unsure if a shoulder rub would be appropriate and felt herself blush as she turned back to the task at hand. Jayne peered over at Lara and saw her carefully measuring out a bit of this and that. He turned back to his space as Lara started frying up her flapjacks. He started on the dishes and soon she was next to him drying them off and putting them away while keeping an eye on her flapjacks.

Jayne set the table just in case the whole crew showed for breakfast as Lara started putting food on the table. The crew did start to trickle in after the breakfast they had yesterday. Before anyone knew it everyone was sitting down and eating while they rubbed the sleep from their eyes. Copious amounts of coffee was poured and consumed as bellies filled and the crew started to trickle away to their posts.

River peered sideways at Lara sitting next to her. She noticed the bruise Atherton had given her was still healing and there were black rings of sleeplessness around her eyes. Her forehead creased as she turned back to her plate.

Jayne, Simon, Lara, and River were the only ones left at the table. Lara pushed back her chair and started to stand and gather dishes. River's hand grabbed Lara above her sprain gently as she turned to look up at her.

“Shared the bad dreams,” River whispered, “Didn't mean to. Popped into her head like a dirty joke. Can't keep em out.”

Lara looked at River and smiled gently. She leaned forward as River released her wrist and their foreheads touched.

“Nothing of this is your fault,” Lara stated firmly, “Nothing. Not now, nor before. You understand Lil Bit?”

River smiled at her use of the old nickname and Lara gathered a few dishes into her arms. She walked around the table as Jayne stood to help clean up. She headed to the kitchen as River stood and looked after her.

“It is,” she whispered loudly, “The bad dreams that don't go away. The pain the Pixie hides each day. Stabs at the heart and makes her feel unworthy.”

Simon and Jayne looked at River and back to Lara. Lara slowly set the dishes down on the counter and turned slowly towards River.

Lara said, “I want you to do something.”

Lara pointed at her head as she walked back towards the table, “Read me. Dig deep Lil Bit. What truth do you find there?”

Lara put her hands on the table and looked at River in challenge. River echoed her movement and stared at her. River scowled as she concentrated. Lara continued to stare at River with an open look on her face. After a few minutes, River's face scrunched up as if in pain. Simon stood up quickly, but halted when Lara motioned for him to stop.

A few minutes later, tears slowly trickled out of River's eyes as her face relaxed and a look of shock and understanding over came her. She blinked a few moments and then nodded while a smile slowly formed on her face. She straightened and walked out of the room.

Jayne and Simon looked at each other before looking at Lara again.

“What just happened?” Jayne asked bewildered.

“She finally understands,” Lara said calmly.

“Understands what?” Simon asked.

“It would take a long time to explain everything,” Lara said quietly as she held up three fingers and slowly lowered each as she named something important, “But to summarize... I lay all blame on the Blue Sun Corporation which is who started this whole thing, I would do everything exactly the same even knowing the outcome before hand if it kept River safe, and some gifts we were born with.”

“Born with?” Simon asked.

Lara looked at Simon, “She's not the only reader on this boat.”

Simon and Jayne both raised an eyebrow and stared.

“I have to concentrate really hard to get any information,” Lara said hesitantly, “Thats how I knew when to get those girls out when I did. River was born with it too, but it was like mine. We use to share secrets during class even tho we were in separate buildings. The Blue Sun Corp just sliced away her barriers. Its easier if you are close to someone. I don't mean in location, but feelings and memories.”

Jayne crossed his arms as he shifted uncomfortably.

“You can read people's brains too?” he asked.

“If I want a migraine and a bloody nose,” she stated.

“What?” Simon asked concerned.

“I have to concentrate to use it and it has consequences,” Lara said as she turned back to the kitchen, “So if you two have heard quite enough...I'm going to clean up.”

“Wait,” Simon said, “You said it was easy to read River.”

Lara turned back to Simon, “Because shes a reader. Its easier for readers to communicate with each other.”

Jayne straightened and said, “Thats how she knew where you were.”

“Yes.”

Jayne quietly helped Lara to clean up as Simon went to find River. When all the dishes were put away he snuck off to his bunk to think.

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Shortly Before Midnight**

Lara tossed and turned as sweat gathered on her forehead. The same images played in her head over and over. As she twisted in her bed sheets, River shivered in the room next to her.

_Hands of blue drug a small tool up her back as she shivered in the bright lights. Deprived of most of her clothing, she could see her breath in the chilled room. Another man stood nearby monitoring computers while controlling numerous buttons and dials. A sharp electric shock flew up her spine and her body shook involuntarily as the tool burned into her skin. Both blue gloved men shared an evil smile as a third man asked questions from a cushioned bench by the wall._

_“Where is River?” he demanded calmly as he held his hand up to stop the men a moment._

_“I don't know,” Lara gritted out through her teeth._

_The man laughed gently as he motioned for them to proceed. A few minutes of spasms and burns made Lara's tears finally break free as she hung her head. She'd been in here for weeks with no end in sight. In her almost vertical position she could see the man's boots as he stood and walked over to her._

_“If anyone knows where they are,” he said as he grabbed her chin in a white, military gloved hand, “Its you.”_

_Lara raised her eyes to look into the eyes of a man she once called family, “Even if I did. You do not deserve them. Do what you will. I know nothing of importance.”_

_The man finally saw the truth in her eyes as he scowled and dropped his hand. He nodded at the men and they turned up the voltage. He wandered slowly around the room with his hands held at his lower back as her screams grew. Finally the pain overwhelmed her and she passed out into sweet oblivion._

_Hours later she awoke to the tenderness in her back as the ship she found herself in shook. She was laying on her stomach in the same clothes she'd passed out in. A few whimpering women sat opposite her against the wall of the room they were locked in. They saw her stir and try to sit up. Their eyes were wide with fear as they looked towards the door and then back to her. The youngest one quickly scooted over to her to help her sit. They had bandaged her back, but the blood still remained in her clothing._

_“Whats happening?” Lara croaked out._

_The young one whispered in her ear, “We're bein sold to slavers. No way to get out.”_

_“Don't worry,” Lara said as determination filled her eyes, “I'll get you out of here.”_

_“No way out,” the oldest woman said._

_Lara smirked at her as she started to concentrate on the minds in the ship, “There is for a Pixie.”_

Lara woke in a cold sweat and swung her feet to the floor. Her head pounded as she sat up and she instantly felt dizzy. She spread her hands out beside her to stabilize herself as her thoughts cleared. She shook her head to chase away the last threads of the nightmare. She took a deep breath and reached for a robe River had given her. It fit a bit snug, but it worked to keep out the chill as she slowly made her way to the galley.

As she entered the galley she noticed Jayne sitting at the table nursing a cup of coffee. His hair stuck up in odd bits here and there as he needed a haircut and sleep had eluded him as well. He looked at her and tried to smile as she looked at him.

She tilted her head as she sat at the table next to him and said, “It bothers you doesn't it?”

He eyed her before staring at his cup, “Don't like people in my head.”

“I wasn't in your head,” she said, “You've been quiet since you found out.”

“Don't like the idea of people seein what I've done,” he said honestly.

“I don't need to read your mind to know you are a good man at heart,” she said.

“Hmm... never been accused of that before,” he said as he took a long swig of coffee.

“River said so,” she said.

“Moon Brain said I'm a good man?” he said, “Well that just proves how nuts she is.”

“She didn't say it in so many words,” she said, “She told me all that has happened since she woke up here.”

Jayne shrunk into his chair a bit, “Everything?”

Lara looked at him and raised a brow, “Everything.”

“It wasn't what you think,” he mumbled, “On Ariel.”

“It was exactly what River thought it was,” she said, “She also knows you had second thoughts when you found out about what they did to her. She also told me regret was strong in your mind the whole time afterwords. That you still feel guilty.”

Jayne stared at the table as he held his cup in both hands while running his thumbs up and down the front of it.

“You've made them both crew, family,” she said, “Sometimes family is screwed up. Sometimes they fight, bicker. True family always fights for each other in the end.”

Jayne caught the sadness in her voice and he straightened, “You have family waiting for you back home? Maybe some beau?”

Lara's stare glazed over as tears threatened, “This is my family now. Blood is over rated.”

She had her hands laced together on the table top as she leaned forward a bit. He reached over and placed his hand on top of hers and squeezed gently a few times.

“There somethin you wanna say? Talk about?” he asked, “I'm not the type to go paradin stuff around and normally I wouldna asked....but you look....lost.”

“Did you know I'm the same age as Simon?” she asked.

“Uh, no. No I didn't.”

She chuckled softly, “Our parents were friends. Mr. Tam was a General in the military and his wife was a socialite. Always had to keep up appearances. My father was constantly sent out on missions after my mother died from a rare disease. I practically lived at the Tams. They had this dream that I'd become an ER nurse and marry Simon.”

Jayne pulled her hand into his and held it a bit possessively.

“You and Simon?” he asked.

“I loved him,” She said quietly, “But not is the way they wanted. He was always the brother I never had. I did become an ER nurse, but my passion was never there. I've always loved to create edible treats and see the smiles on peoples' faces when I brought them a cake or something.”

“You weren't happy?”

“I was in a way,” she said, “River and I connected instantly. It may have been the reader in us, but her tendency to be different was greatly misunderstood by others. I've always understood her.”

“And now?”

“I still do.”

“You understand all that round about talk?”

“Yes,” she said, “I have always been able to interpret what she says. She used to speak in code sometimes. Similar to what she does now.”

“So you had River and Simon.”

“And their parents.”

“I suppose you'd get close to them bein there all the time.”

“Yeah,” she said quietly, “Mr. Tam was like a father to me.”

“I get the feelin you don't still feel that way.”

She looked over at Jayne as her eyes started to water. She shook her head as tears started to trail down her cheeks. Jayne looked at her awkwardly.

“Naaaaaw woman,” he said with emphasis, “Doncha go doin that on me now. I can't stand ta see womens' tears.”

Her shoulders started to shake as her crying intensified. He scooted his chair back a bit, put his arms around her, and drug her onto his lap. He sat there and held her as she cried. Tears streamed down and soaked his shirt as she seemed to him to cry an ocean. After a few minutes her shoulders started to shake less and the tears slowly started to dry up.

“Sorry,” she whispered, “I'm not usually the kind to give into a crying fit.”

She snuggled into his chest as he wrapped his arms tighter around her.

“You gonna tell me what I said to set you off?” he asked tentatively.

“Mr. Tam,” she said slowly and quietly, “He faked my kidnapping.”

“Why would he do that?”

“To find out where his children were.”

Jayne scowled, “What do you mean?”

“He knew what was going to happen to River,” she said quietly, “He sent her there on purpose. He wanted Simon back at the hospital to save their precious reputation and he wanted River back at the Academy to be his greatest weapon.”

“And what did he want with you? Simon didn't say anythin about you before River sensed who you were.”

“He knew if Simon had told anyone their location... it would have been me. He didn't know that I only gave them money and a contact. I told Simon it was better if I didn't know the details.”

“You could have lied.”

“I'm not a good liar,” she said shaking her head, “Besides Mr. Tam's.....methods....were too good to cover anything up.”

Jayne stiffened as he sensed more, “And what...exactly....did they do?”

“You ever been tortured?” she whispered.

“No, Mal and Wash were once tho.”

“Imagine being electrocuted to the point of burning flesh,” she continued to whisper, “Then sold into slavery to those notorious for using whips.”

Jayne's grip on her tightened as he felt pure rage flood through his entire body.

“If I ever meet any of em,” he gritted through his teeth, “They ain't gonna live long enough to hurt you ever again.”

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Next Morning**

Instead of breakfast, the crew awoke to find Jayne sitting on the couch asleep with Lara held possessively in his arms. She was curled up in his embrace as her head laid against his chest. His head was laying against hers as he snored softly.

One by one they shook their heads as they smiled and snuck back out of the galley. Zoe followed Wash to the bridge, River headed back to the cargo bay to practice a new dance she had learned off the cortex, Simon took an inventory of the med lab, Inara meditated in her shuttle, Kaylee snuck an apple and headed after River with a book in her hand, and Mal quietly sat in his bunk working through papers that sat in a heap on his table.

 

**Inara's Shuttle**

Inara sighed as she found her concentration wandering to the Captain. She had yet to talk to him privately. Even when she found herself alone with him, she couldn't seem to untangle her mouth long enough to tell him what was going on.

She did not wish to be a companion anymore. She wanted only one man. Sure he infuriated her time and time again, but the passion that was lying underneath could be the start to something beautiful. Did she dare start something when she was unsure how much longer she'd be alive? Or did she throw caution to the wind and savor every moment she had left?

She looked towards the door. Willing him to walk through on his own so she did not lose her nerve crossing the ship. Were they in love? Maybe. Were they going to live happily ever after? Who knew how long anyone had?

She nodded to herself and a determined look crossed her face. She lifted herself off the floor and swung her hair as she strode swiftly to the door. She shut it firmly behind her as she continued her way towards the Captain's bunk. Seeing it closed, she rapped firmly on the hatch and stood to her full height as she watched it slowly open.

“Inara? Not like you to come a knockin. You ok?” Mal asked concerned.

“May I come down?” she asked.

“Uh,” Mal stammered a bit, “You've never had cause except the Saffron episode.... I suppose.”

He backed down the steps and allowed her to climb down as he quickly picked up a few items and tried to straighten the place up. He set a stack of papers and books on his small table and as he turned back to Inara it started to slide back at him. He quickly righted the stack and restacked it a bit sturdier before turning back to Inara who just stood there grinning at him.

“Um,” Mal said, “There something you wanna talk about?”

“Yes actually,” Inara said a bit nervous.

“You seem... unsure of yourself,” Mal said, “I admit I've never seen you like this.”

Inara bit her bottom lip as she stared at Mal's boots, “I've never done this before.”

“Done what?”

Inara sighed and took a few steps towards Mal. She took his hands in hers and looked him in the eyes.

“I do not wish to be a companion anymore,” she whispered.

“Oh?” Mal said as he gulped.

“Mal,” she said pausing, “There are a couple things I need to tell you. First, I'm pretty sure I'm madly in love with you and I want to take any opportunity we might have together. I'm tired of wasting away my days when I could be with you.”

He smirked and said, “And whats the second thing?”

Inara looked at their hands and was silent for a few minutes, “Mal, I'm not sure how much time I have.”

“None of us do.”

“No, I mean... the reason I've been sick. I have to take special medications to keep a certain sickness away. Its not contagious, but it is terminal in the long run. The range of length of life is so sporadic with this disease that noone knows how long I will have.”

“None of us do,” Mal said as he lifted her chin to stare him in the eyes, “What now?”

“If you do not share my feelings, I can always go back to the temple to...”

“No,” Mal said interrupting her, “You don't tell me you love me and then go runnin off.

He pulled her into his arms and leaned his forehead against hers.

“Whatever this is,” he said, “we spend the time together. I'm not one for pretty words, but I can speak plainly. I love you too, Inara. I don't plan on lettin you go anywhere without me ever again.”

Inara smiled a watery smile as Mal leaned in and shared with her the sweetest kiss she had ever had. A tear streamed down her cheek and Mal brushed it away before kissing her again.

 

**Bridge**

Zoe hummed contentedly in the extra chair as one hand cradled her stomach. She had just started to show and she felt a kind of happiness she had never felt before. Wash stood and walked over to her. He massaged her shoulders as she continued to hum.

“You glow you know,” he said.

“I do?” she asked.

“Even more so then on our wedding day. This glow is different. Its like when a star explodes and you get all that color and glimmer. You look so beautiful,” he said as he leaned down and kissed her neck, “My glowing amazon.”

Zoe chuckled as she felt his hands start to roam.

“Well, lets hope the Captain doesn't walk in,” she purred, “I'd have to hurt him.”

Wash just smiled widely as he wiggled his eyebrows.

 

**Med Lab**

After attempting an inventory and failing miserably, Simon finally gave up when he found he'd recounted one drawer four times. His mind was on Kaylee who had fallen asleep with a book in her lap and an apple core on the table next to her. He grinned widely as he remembered all the antics she had partaken of since he had been aboard the ship.

Quietly he walked into the cargo bay and sat on a crate. River was smiling and singing to herself some bawdy song Kaylee had taught her as she danced around. Twirling and tapping and lifting the edge of her skirt just a tinge in time with the music in her head.

 

**Galley**

Lara woke to find herself still in Jayne's arms, his head leaning against hers. She smiled and snuggled into his sleeping form. She felt the thrum of contented happiness vibrating through the ship. She frowned as she stared at her sprained wrist and realized it had only been three days since she had been a prisoner. Her whole body still felt sore more often then not, but it would get easier as everything healed. The bruise on her face was already starting to turn a lighter color and she could walk without wincing if she went slowly.

Waking in Jayne's arms made her mind whirl with all kinds of questions. _What did a man like Jayne think about her? Was he this tender with all the ladies or just her? Should she even be thinking of a man so soon after the terrors of Atherton Wing? Jayne didn't seem like the type to hurt a woman._

She sighed heavily as she leaned into his warm chest. She smiled and slowly closed her eyes again.

 

 


	17. Chapter 17

**Few Hours Later**

The ship lurched suddenly and an alarm blared. Jayne and Lara woke and stood as fast as they could. They both ran towards the bridge, soon followed by everyone else.

Wash rapidly mashed buttons while River checked various view screens muttering to herself.

“What we got?” Mal asked firmly.

“Not so shiny,” River muttered louder, “First it shimmers and then it dulls and fades.”

“Now's not the time, Lil Albatross,” Mal said as he held on to the back of Wash's chair, “Report.”

“Proximity alarm went off, but I'm not seeing anything, Mal,” Wash said, “Not sure about the shake tho.”

Kaylee ran off towards the engine room.

“We are but a whisper in a field of shadows,” River said quietly.

Lara swung towards River as the color drained from her face and they locked eyes.

“They're coming,” River whimpered as she hugged her knees.

At her remark, everyone looked at River and noticed Lara standing behind her chair, gripping the back tightly as she tried to breathe. Jayne rushed over to Lara and put an arm around her waist.

“Whats wrong?” Jayne asked.

River looked away and shivered. Lara blinked a few times and put a gentle hand on River's shoulder. River turned back to Lara and nodded.

Everyone caught the odd exchange, but only Simon and Jayne understood that they had communicated somehow.

“Lil Bit,” Lara asked in a quivering voice as she took River's hand, “Where are they?”

River pointed into a dark space out the window. It looked like nothing but the black nothingness of space. Only one thing was out of place...you couldn't see any of the stars. Lara walked closer to the window and reached out with her mind. She sensed hatred, hunger, and lust.

“Slavers,” Lara whispered.

“Where? They don't show on the sensor sweep,” Wash said starting to panic.

“Its like River said,” Lara stated, “They shimmer and then dull down until they fade into the black. These slavers somehow have a Glimmer Ship.”

“What the hell is a Glimmer Ship?” Jayne asked.

“I've never heard of it,” Mal said.

“Experimental military ships were trying to find a way to create a stealth shield. Something that could go undetected in space. They found they could use small ships to get a satisfying result. It only had a few problems. Proximity alerts would still go off and if someone was at the helm they would notice a yellow shimmering blob in the distance that looked like a small vessel before the stealth was activated. Then the shimmer would slowly disappear and pilots would think they imagined the whole thing. Unless they were the target of the ships,” Lara said.

“And how would you know about the stealth shields on experimental ships for the military?” Mal asked.

Lara looked at River. River frowned and turned to Lara, staring towards her feet.

“Father's project,” River said quietly.

It was Simon's turn to frown, “How do you know it was father's project?”

“Pixie picked it from his brain,” she said smiling, “Couldn't help it. He thought about it all the time. That and us.

River frowned and turned towards the window.

“Of course he thought about us,” Simon said, “He thought we were doing well for the family before I was arrested for being in that bar.”

“No,” River said sadly shaking her head, “He thought about how to get his weapon back.”

“Are you saying father knew what type of school he was sending you to?” Simon asked as he started to raise his voice in disbelief.

River looked Simon straight in the eyes and said, “He knew. Who do you think kidnapped our Pixie?”

All eyes turned to Lara and they noticed her body was weaving slightly side to side.

“Lara?” asked Simon.

“Keep going at the current heading,” she said in a monotone voice.

Jayne looked closer at her as she turned towards them. Her nose was bleeding down her face and her brows were scrunched in concentration.

“Keep on this heading and increase speed slightly,” she said quietly, “I'm not sure how long I can hold the pilot in ignorance if another crew member approaches him on their bridge.”

Wash immediately complied and everyone else stood nervously as they edged past the dark spot in the window. As they moved out of range and Wash increased the burn to max, they all breathed a sigh of relief. Lara turned towards Jayne and smiled weakly before her knees buckled. Jayne caught her and Simon followed them to the med lab.

Mal looked over at River.

“Looks like more secrets have boarded my boat, Lil Tross,” Mal said.

River stood up straight with her shoulders squared and looked Mal in the eyes without blinking, “She would die before betraying any of us.”

She turned and skipped out of the bridge.

Mal sighed and ran his hand through his hair as he started to shake his head. Wash reset navigation and set them on a slightly different course then the main stream. Once they were sure they were in the clear they all headed down to the Med Lab to see what the hell was going on.

 

**Med Lab**

Simon had Jayne clean the blood off her face while he tried to find the smelling salts that worked wonders to bringing someone around. Once he found them he waved them under Lara's nose. She woke with a start and brought a hand carefully to her forehead.

“Gonna need a few head meds Doc,” Lara joked softly.

“You want to explain what happened back there?” Simon asked softly as he handed her a glass of water with some migraine medication.

She tried to sit up a bit and Jayne held her up while she took her medicine. He helped her lay back down all the way and she smiled as he took one of her hands in his.

“I told you if I use my abilities I get migraines and bloody noses. I'm sure if I were to go past my limit it would be a lot more severe. Doesn't mean I like feelin this way tho,”

“What abilities would that be?” Mal asked as he appeared in the doorway with his arms crossed.

Lara groaned, “Suppose I get to tell the story again huh?”

“Again?” Mal asked.

“We just found out last night she was a reader, Mal,” Jayne said defensively, “Ain't been time to hold a meetin and inform the whole crew.”

Mal frowned, “Readers don't do what we just saw.”

Lara frowned, “Know many readers do ya?”

“I've known a few.”

Lara sat up despite the dizziness she felt. Jayne helped steady her and the crew noticed his attention towards her.

Lara stared at the Captain, “Readers do just that. They read minds, sense emotions. Not all of them can do that with ease.”

“Obviously,” Simon said shortly.

“Some readers can manipulate the mind, and the senses. Takes a lot of work, and there are dire consequences.”

“You look fine enough to me,” Mal said with his arms still crossed as he leaned against the doorway.

“Until I close my eyes,” Lara whispered as she looked at the ground, “I'll be out for days once I finally fall asleep. I'll have an increased appetite for a week. The migraine won't go away any time soon and the bloody noses will come back a lot. Had I tried to kill someone using my mind...I'd be disabled for a couple months. Injure someone? Maybe a month. Even prying into a strong mind can be fatal if its done improperly. The pilot on that ship was weak minded, and I had River's help to direct the flow.”

“Direct the flow?” Zoe asked.

“She sent me some of her kinetic energy and showed me who to aim at. I couldn't have done something like this alone. Unfortunately I'll have that pilot's perverse thoughts stuck in my head awhile as well.”

“What about a practiced reader?”asked Zoe.

“What do you mean?” asked Lara.

“If the Alliance was makin natural readers more sensitive with experiments like they did to River,” Zoe said, “What happens when one of them readers is constantly exposed and used in such a way? Would they build up a tolerance? Be able to do more, read more?”

Lara laid back down with a thoughtful look on her face, “I suppose they would. When I was using my ability to help girls escape... I seemed to build a bit of a tolerance. Hard to tell tho. Each mind is different. Different strengths and weaknesses. Distance is a factor too.”

Kaylee appeared in the doorway and tapped the Captain on the shoulder while she nibbled on her lower lip.

“What broke this time?” Mal sighed.

“One of the parts I had you get a spare for,” she smiled, “We're all shiny again Captain not to fret.”

“But?” he asked.

“But we'll need a backup next time we head to Persephone.”

“Great,” Mal said sarcastically.

“And with that I'm off to sleep,” Lara mumbled.

 


	18. Chapter 18

**Galley a Week Later**

“She woke up yet?” Mal asked as Simon walked in to the galley.

“No,” Simon said, “her vitals are stronger though. I imagine it will be any day now.”

Mal looked down at his liquidy protein filled bowl with yearning. River giggled as the Captain looked away from his bowl frowning.

“Well we need our cook back,” Mal said, “Can't eat such swill when my stomach has gotten so used to fluffy pancakes and fresh homemade bao.”

“Least we have a job to do Captain,” Zoe said smirking as she patted his shoulder and sat down with a heavy sigh, “A nice simple one it looks like.”

“And you realize you're stayin put?” Mal said as he made a half-hearted stab in his bowl.

Zoe narrowed her eyes at Mal.

“Excuse me?”

“Yur carryin precious cargo now,” Mal said as he pushed his bowl aside and settled for his coffee mug, “Don't wanna run the risk of damagin the goods.”

Zoe sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over the barely showing bump that had decided to make its appearance.

“Did you just refer to my daughter as cargo, Cap?” she said raising an eyebrow.

“All of us is cargo Zoe,” Mal stated as he downed the rest of his cup and stood, “And all of us start out getting carried around.”

“Man's got a point,” Wash said.

Zoe just shook her head smiling.

 

**Med Lab**

Jayne sat next to Lara's bed. His head rested on his arms at the edge of her bed. His eyes were closed tight and his snoring could be heard a room away. One of his hands held hers as he impatiently waited for her to wake. A few hours later, after many of the crew had visited for the day, Jayne felt a small squeeze on his hand. He sat up and looked to see a small smile on her lips. Her eyes stayed shut, but Jayne knew she was awake.

Mal appeared in the doorway and leaned against the frame, “Jayne, I need you and River to gear up. Sure we'll be back before she wakes.

“Matter of opinion,” mumbled Lara.

“Ah,” Mal said straightening, “Our cook has awoken.”

“Head is still swimming.”

“You need me to stay?” Jayne asked.

“I think I'll stay right here for the moment,” she slurred tiredly, “You go get the goods and when you get back we'll see if Simon will let you carry me to the couch. Its softer.”

“Deal,” Jayne smirked as he stood.

He squeezed her hand and let go as he turned to follow Mal.

 

**Planet's Surface a Few Hours Later**

“Seed?!” Jayne asked as he shot off a few rounds towards their pursuers, “We're gettin shot at over seed?!"

Mal shot a few rounds as well as River piloted the hover mule towards the ship.

"I know I know," Mal mumbled as he ducked low and reloaded, "Nothin can go accordin to the gorram plan."

"How'd they know we were makin a pickup anyhow?" Jayne asked as he fired a few more rounds before reloading himself.

"Sellers stiffed them to sell to us at a higher price," River said.

"This stuff was ordered months ago, why would there be a need to stiff anyone?" Mal asked.

"Pirates stole their other shipment," River said as she navigated a tricky area, "We arrived first, we had dibs and more coin."

"Scary how she can be all calm while we're bein shot at!" Jayne shouted.

"She certainly has come a long way," Mal said proudly.

 

**Back on the Ship**

Kaylee sat in the med lab with the walkie talkie so Lara could hear what was going on. Lara was propped up with a few pillows and she nibbled her bottom lip.

"Incoming," River said into her earpiece making the walkie come alive.

"On my way," Kaylee said as she jumped up and ran for the cargo bay doors.

She opened them up and watched as the hover mule came rushing in. She closed the doors and told Wash to take off as River powered down the mule. Mal and Jayne jumped out of the mule and immediately unpacked all the bags of seed and put them into _Serenity_ 's hidden stash compartments. As soon as Jayne put the hatch back on he headed to the med lab.

Lara looked up as he entered and smiled as she took in his rugged appearance. His hair was in every direction after his windblown ride. He had guns strapped to his waist and thighs. He had smudges of dirt on his arms and face. He was breathing hard as he wiped sweat off his brow. He caught her smiling at him and couldn't resist a smile back.

She patted the stool next to her that Kaylee had vacated, "You look tired big guy."

He grinned wider as he walked over and sat down.

Simon had been standing in the corner by his counters, "Any injuries this time?"

"I got nicked on the left shoulder, but I'll be alright."

"And Mal?" Simon asked as he grabbed some materials to fix up Jayne.

"He's fine, not a graze on him."

"Well then," Simon said as he approached Jayne, "Guess I'll have to fix you up so I have something to do now that Lara is on the mend."

"I ok to move Doc," Lara asked him.

"Yes," Simon said as he cleaned Jayne up, "Just need to take it easy for a while yet, keep off your feet as much as possible."

"Good," Jayne said as he stretched his bandaged shoulder and stood up.

"If thats all Doc?" Jayne said as he carefully scooped up Lara.

"Oof," she said as she came in contact with his chest faster than she thought she would.

Jayne carried her to the couch in the galley room and set her down so she was sitting up. He dragged the coffee table closer, set a small pillow on it, and propped her feet on top of it. He sat down next to her and put his right arm around her shoulders pulling her closer. He leaned his head back against the couch and closed his eyes.

Lara smiled as she leaned against him, "Tough day?"

"I prefer not to get shot at," he said lifting his head and looking at her, "I prefer to be the one doin the shootin."

"Time and place for everything," she said as she looked up at him.

"Ya?" he asked bringing his hand up to cup her face, "Could this be the right time for a kiss maybe?"

Lara chuckled deeply as Jayne wiggled an eyebrow at her.

"I think I can manage that if you can," she whispered.

Jayne grinned wolfishly and leaned down. Their lips met briefly.

"Thats it?" she asked teasing him.

"I got a whole lot more, just not sure what you can handle right now," he said.

"I can handle a lot more than that," she said pulling on his shirt with one fist.

"If you say so Darlin," Jayne said as he brought their lips together again.

A slow fire started in her belly and crawled through to her toes as their tongues danced together. She was pressed tightly against him and could feel his heart racing just as fast as hers. His right hand moved into her hair as he held her and kissed her until she had to pull away for air. They sat there looking at each other. They were only inches apart as they tried to catch their breath. They reluctantly sat back as they heard voices coming towards the galley.

 


	19. Chapter 19

**Few Hours Later**

Mal scowled with arms crossed across his chest as he sat at the galley table making an attempt to not stare at Jayne and Lara snuggling on the couch. Inara smiled when she saw them as she came into the galley. She grabbed two cups of coffee and put one gently in front of Mal as she sat next to him. Mal's scowl decreased as he sniffed the coffee. He almost smiled as Inara grinned at him.

"Trouble?" she asked smirking.

"Don't seem natural," Mal mumbled, "Seein Jayne all...cuddly."

Mal shivered at the sight as he pulled his gaze to Inara.

"Some situations change people," Inara said quietly as she took a sip of her coffee, "Sometimes a person can bring out something long hidden inside us. Jayne deserves to be happy just as much as you do."

"Long as he don't go changin too much," he said grinning wolfishly at Inara as he set his cup aside and reached across the table to take Inara's hand in his.

"Sooo...about makin me happy..." he trailed off as he grinned wider.

Inara chuckled softly, "Your way with words sweeps me off my feet Captain."

"That was the intent yes," he said as they both stood and snuck out of the galley.

Jayne noticed they were alone again and he smirked.

"Think we're makin peeps uncomfortable," he mumbled as he held her.

"Too bad," she whispered, "They'll just have to deal."

"I'm not normally the snuggly type."

"What type are you normally?" she asked as her eyes took on a glow.

"The love em and leave em type," he said sadly.

"Sounds lonely."

"Not exactly easy to make connections when we ain't in one spot long enough."

"Do you want to be in one spot?"

"Nah, not really," he said thoughtfully, "Alliance gets farther and farther out. They'd find us doin somethin bad and illegal sooner rather than later if we all had a planet to call home."

"True," she said, "A home planet is overrated. You may get to know your neighbors, but it doesn't mean you can trust them. On a ship like this you can trust them with your life."

"You ok with driftin thru the black?" he asked.

"I love it," she said smiling, "New planets, new people, new adventures. Even if I'm not always planet side I still get to hear all the fun you guys have."

Jayne smirked as he leisurely ran his right hand through her hair. Lara yawned sheepishly.

"You still tired?"

"A bit," she said leaning her head against his right shoulder, "I could use a small nap."

Jayne pulled away gently and scooped her up into his arms. She giggled lightly as her grin grew wider. Jayne carried her into her room and carefully laid her down on top of the covers on her bed.

Lara reached up to him with inviting arms, "Take a nap with me?"

Mixed feelings crossed Jayne's face, "I lay down I might not be able to keep my hands to myself."

"I'll risk it," she whispered.

Jayne smirked at her again as he laid down next to her and pulled her into his arms. Barely a few minutes passed and Lara's breathing steadied as she drifted off for a nap. She was on her side cuddled against Jayne with her head on his chest and his left arm wrapped around her. Her hair hung loose and every which way. He inhaled her flowery scent as he used his right hand to feel her silky hair. He brought a clump of it to his nose and inhaled deeply before letting the strands fall slowly against his chest. He rested his right arm at her waist and kicked off his boots using his feet to shove them off. Before he knew it he was drifting off himself.

 

**Close to Midnight**

River exited her room with both hands covering her ears. She stopped at Lara's room and peered inside. Jayne and Lara were still fast asleep as River glared at Jayne. He continued to snore loudly, oblivious to the frustration he was causing her. River stuck her tongue out at him childishly and closed the door tightly. As she walked back to her room she sighed contentedly and closed her own door. As she threw herself on her bed she smiled at the blessed silence.

 


	20. Chapter 20

**Early Morning**

Lara woke up yawning into her left hand. Her right arm had the tingles from falling asleep after being wedged between her and Jayne. She laid back on her side of the bed and massaged her arm to work out the tingles. Jayne rolled onto his left side facing her in his sleep as he followed her warmth. He didn't snore quite so loudly on his side. That thought made Lara grin. Good thing she was a hard one to wake up. She turned back onto her side facing a sleeping Jayne. She used her left hand to smooth some of his slightly curly hair away from his forehead. He was in desperate need of a haircut. She let her hand slowly trail down his cheek, then his neck, and then down his chest. She had never gotten the opportunity to investigate a man's body and she couldn't resist tracing his muscles with her fingers. She followed all the parts on his chest and shoulders making small, lazy circles as she went. As her fingers started tracing his stomach she heard him chuckle huskily.

"I'm a bit ticklish on the sides," he whispered as he opened his eyes.

"Your secret is safe with me," she grinned at him as he tilted her chin up and leaned down towards her.

He started with a light, gentle kiss that soon turned into a more demanding one. He held her tightly to him as their breathing grew heavier. Her hands were trapped between them, but she soon wiggled them out and wrapped her arms around his neck as their tongues entwined like fire.

He brought his right hand slowly down her side until they rested on her hip. He massaged her hip gently as she pulled away for air.

"Told you I wouldn't be able to keep my hands to myself," Jayne mumbled huskily as he brought his right hand over to her stomach.

He slowly massaged his way up her stomach until his hand rested on top of her left breast. She took a shuttery breath before moaning gently as he carefully caressed her. She captured his lips in another hungry kiss as he tweaked her nipple, causing her to gasp. His hand slowly roamed over to her other breast, massaging and tweaking that one as well. His hand then wandered slowly back down to her hip as he continued to knead her. He moved his lips down her neck, nibbling a little as he went. He stopped and grinned at the little noises she made as he touched her.

He trailed kisses down to the V in her shirt and nudged the edges lower with his stubbled chin.

"Hmm," he hummed, "Doesn't look like you're wearin anythin under this shirt."

"Cuz I'm not," she moaned gently as his hands reached down to cup and massage her buttocks.

He chuckled deeply as he moved his head lower and took a nipple into his mouth. She gasped as he sucked and teased her.

"Maybe I should mention I'm not wearing anything underneath this skirt either," she whispered as his hands stilled.

"Now you're just askin for all kinds of fun," he mumbled as he reached down to her calf and slipped a hand under the edge of her skirt. As he slowly dragged his hand up her leg, the skirt inched upwards like Jayne was trying to slowly open a present. He continued to suck and tease her other nipple as she let out small moans. Her breathing was getting ragged. He eased her onto her back and shifted his weight so he didn't crush her. She felt every inch of him against her and it was all rock hard.

He pulled off her shirt and his hand went back to inching up her skirt. He stroked her outer thigh as she buried her face in his neck. She started to suck on his neck as she reached down and pulled on his shirt. He stopped and yanked his shirt off tossing it on the floor as she wiggled under him. He grinned as she widened her legs making more room for him. He settled between her legs while he stroked her thigh. His hand roamed to her inner thigh as she ran her hands through the dark hair on his chest. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she looked Jayne in the eyes. His grin turned wolfish as he slipped his fingers up until they teased her sweet spot. Her eyes closed to slits as she moaned softly. He dipped a couple fingers into her as he watched her cheeks flush.

"You ok with this Darlin?" he asked gently, "If you're not ready it can wait for another time."

"Why are you being so gentle with me?" she asked as he continued to slowly stroke his fingers in and out of her.

"Guess you trigger a soft spot in me."

She undid his belt, unzipped his pants, and reached in to take hold of him.

"You don't seem too soft to me," she whispered wickedly as he inhaled sharply.

"You know'd what I meant," he gritted out.

"I'm not afraid Jayne," she said quietly as she stroked him firmly, "I know you'd never hurt me on purpose."

He took in a shuttery breath as he lifted off of her and dragged her skirt off. She helped him remove his pants and he nudged her down onto her back again. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him to her as he settled himself between her legs. He reached between them to guide himself to her entrance where she was slick and ready. He looked up at her.

"You sure?" he asked showing a last bit of restraint.

She grinned wolfishly at him as she bucked up to encompass all of him in one fluid motion. He groaned loudly as his hands made fists in the blankets near her neck.

"Trouble Darlin?" she asked as she mimicked his speech and wiggled her butt a bit.

He gritted his teeth as he said, "For all your troubles you don't seem fazed."

"I've had good and bad over the years," she said, "But this is the best moment yet."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she said smirking as she wrapped her legs around him, "So are you going to make love to me or not?"

Jayne grinned wickedly as he tangled his hands into her hair and pumped into her. He kissed her with a hunger he'd never felt before as he rocked her back and forth.

 


	21. Chapter 21

**Early Morning**

Lara stretched slowly as her eyes fluttered open. She was laying on her side, curled into Jayne's side. He had his left arm curled around her possessively while he snored on. Her left leg was on top of his legs. She wiggled her thigh up to his waist and leaned over him a bit. She slowly ran her fingers thru the hair behind his ear as his snoring lessened. His arm slid down her waist and pulled her over top of him. She gasped loudly in surprise as his other hand grabbed the back of her upper thigh. She smirked at him as she ran a hand through the dark, curly hair on his chest. His eyes were open as he watched her.

"Good morning," she whispered as she smiled.

"Yes, it is," Jayne said thickly as he pinned her to him and captured her mouth with his.

His hands wandered as they kissed. She pulled back grinning and wiggling her eyebrows at him suggestively. He chuckled deeply as he pulled her back to him.

 

**Planet Side One Week Later**

Once again Jayne, River, and Mal sat at a grimy table waiting for The Herald. Mal crossed his arms across his chest as he watched the door. River was slouched with one elbow on the table as she leaned her head on her hand. Jayne slowly ran a finger in circles around the rim of his half filled glass. His right leg slightly bounced up and down with impatience. Mal peered at Jayne sideways.

"You in a hurry?" he asked.

Jayne shrugged as he stared down at his drink.

"Normally that glass would've been empty a few times by now."

"Just wanna get paid and get back to the ship," Jayne said lowly.

River smirked a little as her eyes bounced from bar patron to bar patron while she quickly brushed their minds for any signs of a threat.

"Any particular reason?" Mal asked with a sparkle in his eyes.

"Promised Lara I'd help her do somethin," Jayne mumbled.

Mal quirked up an eyebrow.

"Lara wants to make treats," River giggled.

Jayne's eyes narrowed as he glared at River. She giggled again as she sat up straight and folded her hands together on top of the table.

"He's here," she said nodding towards the door.

Mal and Jayne looked towards the door just as The Herald walked through. He weaved through the growing crowd and sat down in the vacant chair across from Mal.

"So good to see you my friends," he said lightly as he leaned forward and handed Mal a bag under the table, "I hope your payment is adequate?"

Mal peered inside and shuffled around the coins, "Appears to be more than we agreed."

"You are a few days early," The Herald said smiling, "A bonus is always good in situations like this."

"You have another job for us?" Mal asked as he pulled the string closed on the bag.

"Well I still have quite the list, but it depends on what you'd like to do next," The Herald said slowly.

"Meaning?" Mal asked.

The Herald sighed and looked up at Mal, "I have a few jobs similar to what you have been doing, but I also have a request that requires a full crew with their heads on straight."

River started quietly tapping with her left pointer finger on the table.

"This special request pay a lot?" Mal asked.

"Yes," The Herald said, "But its dangerous."

"You mind givin us a few more details," Jayne asked gruffly as Mal put a hand over River's tapping one to silence her.

She looked up at Mal and frowned, "A good job."

The Herald looked at her and raised an eyebrow, "Depends on one's definition of good."

He turned back to Mal, "I have a client who is willing to pay a fortune to someone who can return her sister. She was taken by slavers towards that planet the Alliance wants to terraform. All manner of illegal goods can be sold or bought at the outpost orbiting close by."

Jayne stilled at the mention of slavers.

"She is also willing to pay extra for any other slaves that you bring back. She would ultimately want them shut down, but she knows everyone has their limits. Slaves are the priority."

"Thats a risky job," Mal said quietly, "Let me talk to my crew. We'll be in touch."

 

**Hour Later in the Galley**

The whole crew was called to the galley. Mal sat in his usual spot at one end of the table. Zoe sat to his right with Wash to her right. Inara sat to Mal's left with Kaylee next to her. Simon sat next to Kaylee holding her hand. Jayne was in the chair on the other end of the table. He had pulled it out a bit more away from the table and leaned back in it while he crossed his arms. River sat on the couch.

Lara went about bringing everyone coffee and setting a few plates of goodies in the middle of the table. She paused for a second near Jayne and then turned towards the kitchen again. Jayne reached out and caught her arm. He pulled her over to him and down onto his lap so she sat with her left side against his chest. Her cheeks turned a slight pink as River giggled lightly. She made herself comfortable on his lap while everyone drank their coffee waiting for Mal to speak.

Mal took a long sip of coffee with his eyes closed.

He opened them and looked over at Lara, "Glad you're back on your feet," he said grinning.

Lara smirked and leaned her head against Jayne's shoulder with her forehead against his neck. He moved his right hand up her back a bit to weave it into her hair. He lazily played with it as his attention turned to Mal.

"The Herald has a choice of jobs for us," Mal started, "we could keep doin ones like what we've been doin... or our next one could be worth quite a bit more coin. Seems some rich lady's sister got took by slavers. Lady wants us to rescue her and any other slaves. Sounds like she'd really prefer them shut down as well, but we'd have to play that by ear once inside. Herald wired us a few more details and I've got some maps I thought we'd look over. Now I ain't accepted this job... I want everyone on board with this if we're gonna do it."

"Since when do we vote?" Jayne grumbled.

"This isn't a vote," Mal said as he stood up and set his cup down, "This is dangerous and it isn't something we have to do."

Mal glanced at Zoe's growing stomach, "We don't normally get a choice of job, so what kind of job do we wanna do next?"

Everyone thought quietly for a few minutes. Lara looked around and then sat up.

"I know its dangerous for all involved," she said quietly, "But how can we choose not to try and save them?"

Jayne's fingers continued to weave thru her hair as he turned to look at Mal, "Danger, more money, and doin somthin right? Did you really have to ask Mal?"

Jayne smirked as Lara grinned widely.

 


	22. Chapter 22

**Few Hours Later**

After Mal had sent a wave to The Herald to let him know they accepted the higher paying job, the whole crew sat in the galley analyzing blueprints of the outpost. Some were marked as to what possible illegal goods were sold. Stolen imprinted foodstuffs, medicine, weapons, art, slaves, clothing, and more.

Lara still sat in Jayne's lap while they both poured over the blueprints on their end. He had his right arm around her with his hand rubbing small circles on her thigh.

Kaylee found the safest path to the slave market. Wash and Zoe found ways to deactivate certain security systems. Inara, Mal, and Simon picked up various supplies for the job. Lara and Jayne inventoried and cleaned weapons. When all was set, Wash set course for the outpost as Jayne, River, Mal, and Inara prepared. Zoe sat in the bridge with Wash as she crossed her arms over her baby bump with a scowl. Lara helped where she could. With River and Lara's reader minds it made sense to keep Lara aboard so they could communicate. They would be acting like long range walky talkies.

Inara and Mal were going undercover as a couple looking for cheap slave labor. Jayne and River were dressed to match in black and red as bad ass bodyguards. Once they had a visual on the slaves, they would enact the plan to free them and sneak them aboard Serenity while Jayne planted a few bombs in strategic locations in the slavers headquarters.

 

**Early Evening**

They docked gently with the outpost as Inara, Mal, Jayne, and River made their way to the cargo bay. Lara and Simon sat on a crate near medical. Seeing Jayne, Lara jumped up as he walked closer. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close.

"Keep safe," she said gently.

"Do our best, Darlin," Jayne mumbled as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist.

"Its not normal," Mal mumbled.

Inara raised an eyebrow at Mal, "Whats not normal?"

"My crew is actin all domesticated lately," Mal said.

Lara laughed softly as she kissed Jayne gently, "Sooner you get back, the sooner I can help you out of those dashing clothes."

Jayne growled as he nipped her bottom lip and hugged her tighter.

"I'm gonna try to erase the horrible image of a naked Jayne out of my mind," Mal said grumpily as he shook his head and walked a few steps closer to the doors.

Jayne smirked as he kissed Lara again. He patted her butt and let her go to follow behind Mal. Kaylee opened the doors to let them out and the game began.

 

**Hour Later**

Lara stood next to Kaylee and Simon in the cargo bay as they waited. Lara started to pace as Simon rubbed Kaylee's lower back. Zoe came down the stairs to sit next to Kaylee as Wash remained on the bridge.

"Anything yet?" Zoe asked.

"River says there are eighteen slaves she can pinpoint, but they only have visual on fifteen. None of them are the sister we're looking for as of yet. Their cover is still in tact. Jayne has already set the explosives to a trigger," Lara said as she continued to pace and rub her temples with her fingers.

Zoe nodded and went silent. A few minutes passed with Lara continuing to pace. She lowered her hands to cross them around her stomach as she stopped. She narrowed her eyes at nothing as River communicated with her again.

"Last three located, number seventeen is the sister," Lara said quickly, "An unforeseen distraction is occurring and they are taking advantage of it to get the slaves out. River estimates twenty minutes until the door needs to be opened."

Kaylee stood and hurried to stand near the cargo bay door controls. Zoe radioed up to Wash to tell him to get ready. Simon stood near the medical lab door with his arms crossed over his chest.

River sent Lara images of a few slavers that crossed their paths, silently asking if any of them were known to her. So far none were.

Fifteen minutes passed as the crew on the outpost made their way towards the ship with eighteen slaves between them. River and Jayne were covering the rear as Mal and Inara covered the front. Now that they were at a safe distance, Jayne detonated the explosives. As the loud booming echoed off the outpost walls, a few slavers caught up to the group and began firing at Jayne and River. One got a lucky shot at River's left leg, she felt Lara cringe in her mind as Lara saw the image of the slaver. River began to rage inside as she felt Lara's pain at recognizing one of the men that took her. He may have been an underling, but he had beat their Pixie a few times into unconsciousness.

River stopped walking and aimed straight at him. She pulled the trigger on her gun and it hit him perfectly between the eyes.

"Bullet in the brain pan," River said calmly as she smiled, "Squish."

River turned back to the group and sprinted to catch up as Jayne dropped a slaver behind her. Another got a shot off just as River dropped him. Jayne took a bullet to his upper shoulder and he growled at the pain.

Lara gasped as she saw River and Jayne take those hits and she motioned for Kaylee to open the door. Just as the doors opened, Inara and Mal came through waving the slaves in. Once River and Jayne boarded as well, Kaylee closed the door and Zoe radioed to Wash to get them out. Everyone who had just entered were huffing and puffing. Many of the slaves had slumped down hard to the floor in silent relief.

Lara rushed to Jayne and River. She helped River to the medical lab as Jayne followed them. Simon got to work removing the bullet from River's leg and bandaging her up. Once her pain medication set in, Simon started working on Jayne. Lara sat next to him holding his other hand as Simon stitched him up.

Once Simon was done, Lara helped Jayne to his room to change. He needed help switching shirts and he winked at her when she pulled off his pants. She laughed huskily at him before tossing another pair at him.

"I have dinner to make, Love," she said smiling as she left him to pout on his bed.

As Lara set to making a big meal for the crew and their passengers, Simon checked out the passengers to make sure they were all physically fit. Many had bruises and a few had a couple sprains, but evidently nothing more had occurred since they were worth more untarnished.

Jayne slowly made his way back to the galley and sat in his spot at the end of the table so he could watch Lara set the table. She laid out settings for all the chairs and a few at the small table near the couch. She started setting out food as passengers began to trickle in with the smell of warm, tasty food.

Jayne stood to give his chair to a woman that looked more like a child. He walked into the kitchen to help Lara with his good arm. The food seemed to disappear faster then she could make it, but with Jayne helping where he could they managed to get them all fed as the rest of the crew meandered in to grab a plate themselves. As everything calmed down, Zoe sent a wave to The Herald.

Jayne helped Lara clean up the best he could. When everything was put away he gently grabbed her arm and pulled her into him. He kissed her gently as she smiled up at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck being careful not to jostle his stitches.

"Mind if I stay in your room again, Darlin?" he asked huskily, "I don't wanna try those stairs again right now."

She smirked at him before lowering her arms. She grabbed one of his hands and led him back to her room where they locked the door behind them. She helped him undress before she whipped her own clothes off. He chuckled at her as she gently pushed him back onto the bed with a wolfish grin. He wrapped his arms tightly around her as she straddled his legs.

"I guess we'll have to be gentle," she mumbled as she lightly traced his stitches.

Jayne smirked and grabbed her hips. He lowered her onto him and thrust deep until he felt himself buried to the hilt. She moaned softly as he held himself there until she started wiggling her hips to get him to move. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him as he withdrew a bit before thrusting back in deep. She moaned louder as they met each other and then pulled back. Back and forth they moved as fast as his stitches would let him as they brought each other to a new high.

 


	23. Chapter 23

**Next Morning Approaching Drop off Point**

Wash buzzed the Captain as they neared the coordinates they were given.

"Yeah?" Mal said sleepily.

"An hour out from the drop off point. I'm getting a weird reading tho," Wash stated with his face scrunched up.

Mal woke the others and then hustled to the bridge.

"So whats the weird part?" Mal asked.

Lara stood behind River who was sitting in the left flight chair. Jayne hovered near Lara, rubbing her lower back. Simon and Zoe stood with arms crossed near the door. Kaylee was in the engine room.

"Is our drop off point supposed to be close to a mansion?" Wash asked.

Mal leaned forward over Wash to have a closer look at the screens.

"Those are the coordinates The Herald gave us," Mal said, "Lady who technically hired us is supposed to be rich."

Lara tilted her head as she stared out the front window, "I don't sense anything wrong. We could be too far out yet, but I don't think its a trick."

Mal nodded, "Well at least we're ready if somethin happens."

Lara frowned a bit, "I don't think we have anything to fear here."

Jayne's arm slipped around her waist and pulled her gently against him.

"What you mean by that?" he rumbled softly.

"I feel someone familiar," she said slowly, "Not bad. Maybe a former slave?"

"Pixie saved a crowd of people," River stated matter of factly.

"It IS hard to remember everyone," Lara said as she raised an eyebrow.

Jayne chuckled lightly, "You lost count Darlin?"

Lara smirked as Wash typed in the landing perimeters.

 

**On Planet**

The cargo bay door opened and most of the crew filed out to greet the welcome party. As the former slaves followed slowly behind them, a dark skinned woman wrapped in red and purple silks stepped apart from the welcome party. The youngest former slave started running to her as the other woman opened her arms wide. They wrapped arms around each other as a sea of tears made their appearance.

Jayne stopped walking when he noticed Lara had stopped moving. He turned to see her eyes grow wide and start to mist before she took off at a sprint for the dark skinned woman. She ran past Mal who looked stunned for a moment as she hugged the woman.

"Pixie?!" she said as she choked down more tears, "You made it out alive?"

"Clara," Lara said smiling as she pulled away a little bit, "You made it home."

"Thanks to you," Clara said as she used one hand to wipe away Lara's tears, "My daughter and I made it out and back to my husband as you can see. He was hours from paying the ransom for us too."

"How is your daughter these days?"

"Dating a fine young man that is head over heels for her. What about you? When did you get free? You find yourself a hot stud yet?" Clara wiggled her eyebrows suggestively causing Lara to laugh loudly.

"This crew saved me not too long ago," Lara said as she waved a hand towards the crew and then gestured to Jayne, "and hes mine so no grabbing his ass."

Jayne smirked as he came up behind her to wrap a possessive arm around her waist. Clara looked him up and down, then whistled.

"If I was about twenty years younger and not in love with my husband I'd give you a run for your money."

Lara rolled her eyes and started introducing the crew, "Well this is Jayne Cobb, over there is my best friend River Tam, her brother Dr. Simon Tam, and our illustrious Captain Malcolm Reynolds.

"Its a pleasure to meet you all. If you'll get the rest of your crew, I'd like to have you in for supper and you may all rest here for the night. Payment is inside Captain and if you ever need a haven, consider us a safe place for you and your crew."

"I think we'll take you up on that," Mal said shaking her hand.

 

**Inside During Dinner**

Everyone soon found their stomach's full and the alcohol flowing freely. They had already been shown to rooms before dinner and they had cleaned up to put on their best. Everyone was in full party mode.

"So where to next Captain?" Kaylee asked as she hung on Simon.

"Not right sure on that one," Mal said as his brows furrowed in thought, "The Herald said he had a few jobs yet."

"Might want to double check with that Captain," Clara said gently, "With what happened on your last job, Alliance is lifting the restrictions they had for certain supplies. They may not be needed as bad anymore...or I could be wrong and they'd be legitimate now."

"Well I think we could use a vacation," Wash said as he stood behind Zoe rubbing her small belly.

"Actually Wash," Mal said as he peered over at Inara, "That might not be a bad idea."

Wash's eyes widened in surprise at being taken seriously for once.

"I know a good place for that," Jayne smirked.

"Oh yeah?" Lara asked.

"My mama has been after me for a visit and my family throws one helluva shindig. Lasts for days," he said as he looked thoughtful, "Plus I want her to meet Lara."

"You do?" Lara said with the widest smile he'd ever seen on her face, "You want me to meet your mother?"

"Course I do," Jayne said as he pulled her into his lap and raised his voice loud enough he knew his whole crew, his family, would hear, "Want her to meet the only woman I've ever given my heart to."

Lara's eyes widened as her eyes grew a little misty.

"I love you Lara," he said in a gravely voice, "I don't wanna ever let you go. If you'll have me, I'll make an honest woman outta ya."

"You... you wanna marry me?" she whispered with a small smile.

"Reckon thats just the start my sweet Pixie," he said huskily.

The room had grown quiet at his proposal.

Lara cupped her hands on either side of his face, "Does that mean I get to shoot Vera whenever I want to?"

Jayne barked out a full laugh, "That a yes Darlin?"

"Thats a hell yes," Lara said loudly, "Cuz I love you too and I am not letting you go!"

"About DAMN time!" River said as she rolled her eyes, "Can I be the maid of honor?"

Everyone laughed loudly and took turns clapping each of them on the back in congratulations.

 


End file.
